


Divinity

by Kitkat12323



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/M, Fighting, Fluff, Gen, Gods AU, No Beta, Shapeshifting, different time periods but not specified, expect some mistakes though i did try to fix most, i try to keep the reader gender neutral in most fics, im hoping to write one for all the brothers and undateables, one shots, we'll see how far i actually get
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26464672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitkat12323/pseuds/Kitkat12323
Summary: A series of one-shots where the brothers and undateables are Gods. Each one-shot is a standalone.
Relationships: Asmodeus (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Barbatos (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Beelzebub (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Diavolo (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Simeon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Solomon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader
Comments: 27
Kudos: 225





	1. Again and Again (Barbatos/F!Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> These were taken from my tumblr, sara-scribbles. I try to keep the reader gender neutral in most of the fics except Barbatos as it was a gift to a friend.

He was a strange one you decided. Then again he was a god so maybe he was considered normal. Not that you knew much as he was the first god you had ever met. Despite his strangeness, he was kind to you.

Everyday you would wake up in your small but comfy room in the temple. You would go through your daily routine: bathe, make breakfast, take a walk around the gardens and then start your chores. The other inhabitants of the temple did their own work as well. Being the newest caretaker of the temple, you didn’t know any of them, and they seemed hesitant to talk to you.

Still you had one friendly face to look forward to.

“How goes your day?” Barbatos asked. Genuine curiosity reflected in his eyes. 

You finished watering the last of the plants and stand up. “The usual. Wake up, eat, chores.” Resting the pot on your hip, you smiled at him. “The weather is getting nicer. I love this time of year.”

He walked by your side as you made your way through the temple. “What do you love most?”

You ignored the pointed looks from the other caretakers. “Hmm…” Your brows pulled together. “I would have to say the change in weather. Warmer weather means plants are growing. People won’t have to worry about the chill of winter. New life is starting. It’s all so beautiful.”

“I see.” You returned to the garden to ensure everything had been done before finally looking at Barbatos.

“What are your plans for today, Barbatos?” you inquired, always curious what the god was up to.

His attention was focused on the flowers. “I have a few meetings to attend to.” He nodded to himself, satisfied with everything. “Will you join me tonight?” Those green-gold eyes peered into your very soul.

Fighting the flush creeping up your face, you nodded. “Of course. Shall I bring some wine and dessert?”

His smile was barely noticeable, but you always felt your heart flutter when he does. “I look forward to it.”

Leaving you alone in the garden, you covered your face and let out a shaky breath. Ever since he caught you sneaking back to your room with a plate of handmade pastries, he had invited you to his chambers to share them. You always made a fresh batch before visiting him. You never thought the God of Time had a sweet tooth, but it seemed he enjoyed your baking.

Calming yourself down, you proceeded with the remaining chores.

\---------

Humming to yourself as you finish rolling out the dough, your ears perked up when you heard the loud chatter. Around this time the caretakers take a needed resting period. Most spend their time in the town or somewhere else outside the temple.

“Did you see him?”

“You mean the God of Time? Lord Barbatos?” The voices grew louder.

You stopped in your prepping, curiosity overtaking you. “He’s always so calm and mysterious. And he’s quite handsome.”

“But he never talks to us.” There was a chorus of agreements and sighs.

“He only talks to the new one,” a voice hissed.

You stiffen. “What’s so great about the new caretaker? Why does he spend his time with her?”

“She acts like she’s better than us just because Lord Barbatos gives her a little attention.” The bitterness in the voices were strong.

The voices faded as the group moved on. “Nothing special. I heard her parents sold her to a brothel. She’s dirty and doesn’t deserve to be near such a divine being.”

The area is quiet again. You gripped the edge of the table, body trembling. Swallowing the lump that formed in your throat, you hastily wiped your eyes with the back of your hand.

“Strawberry cream. Spread evenly. Fold left then right.” You continued to speak aloud. Your hands slowly stopped shaking.

By the time the pastries were baked and cooled, you had calmed down. You placed the plate of pastries aside and cover them with a towel. You head to the main area for reflection and prayer.

A little while later when you were sure everyone was in bed, you sneak back into the kitchen. Carrying the plate, a jug of wine and two cups, you made your way to his chambers. Without knocking, you pushed the door open and closed it with your hip.

His chambers were large and spacious compared to your own. Placing the things on the empty table, you poured wine into both glasses and took a seat.

Barbatos joined you a little while later, having come from his sleeping chamber. “These look delicious.” He took a bite and closed his eyes. “Very good.”

You feel a sense of pride whenever he complimented your baking. “Thank you.” You dipped your head as you stared idly at your uneaten pastry.

“Is something the matter?” You could feel his eyes on you.

“N-nothing…” your hand shook as you took a sip of wine. You attempted to nibble at the pastry to ease his worry. You glance up at him.

His head was tilted to one side, a blank expression on his face. “Tell me what’s wrong.” His voice was soft but commanding.

You stopped trying to eat the pastry and sighed. “I...why do you talk to me?” You’re genuinely curious why he spent so much time with you.

A single graceful eyebrow went up. “I enjoy our talks together. I wish to know more about you.”

“But I’m not anything special, Lord Barbatos. I’m just a caretaker. I’m sure you could spend your time doing more important things...” Your hands fall to your lap as you toyed with the fabric of your sleepwear.

“Barbatos.” You jerked your head up and met his gaze. “I don’t like when you call me Lord Barbatos. It...it feels like you’re trying to keep me at a distance.”

Your lips turn down. “Shouldn’t I? You are a god. I should revere you from afar.”

He stands from his seat and moved to your side. His form overshadowed you as he stared down. “Not you. I don’t want you to see me from afar.” He reached out and gently grasped your chin. “You are far too important to me. There's not as much time as you think. Even if you don’t remember me, I want to try and hold on to what I can. I want to change things; make them better for you.”

You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but can’t find the words. You were lost in his eyes yet unafraid. The way his thumb brushed against the corner of your lip tingled. Being so close to him like this felt right somehow.

“May I?” he asked, his gaze soft, caring.

“Yes,” you whispered. Heart thumping loudly, you closed your eyes. 

You barely felt the soft brush of his lips, but it was like a thousand lightning strikes. He pressed his lips firmer the second time. The third time he lingered longer. You lose count as his tongue swept past your lips. Your arms come up and wrap around his neck. You don’t remember when he had lifted you up and deposited you on his bed.

Your hands run through his silky hair as he peppered love bites on your neck and collar. He finally pulled away to look at you. Panting, hair mussed and clothes wrinkled, he looked beautiful. His green-gold eyes were completely black. Yet he remained frozen, hovering over you.

“Barbatos?” You gently reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

The look on his face was one you never saw before. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. “Stay with me. Please.”

Looping your arms around his neck, you tugged him down. His head rested against your chest so he could hear the beating of your heart. “Always.”

\---------

The sun streaming in through the window caused you to stir. Silky sheets pooled around your waist. The blue sky was cloudless and calm; it looked to be a beautiful day. The god next to you slept soundly as you slipped out of bed. Pulling on your night clothes on, you pressed a kiss on his temple.

“I’ll be right back,” you murmured.

Leaving his chambers, you returned to your room. You hummed as you picked out the clothes for the day. You had promised Barbatos last night to be there when he woke. You just wanted to gather clothes for the day before returning to his side. He had promised to answer any questions you had. You just wanted to know what he meant by his strange words.

A smile stretched across your face as you recalled last night’s activities. His gentle hands that caressed your body. The way he worshiped your form like he was paying tribute. The sweet words he whispered in your ear as he held you close.

Gathering everything, you started to make your way back, but a voice calling your name stopped you. Brows furrowing, you followed the sound of the voice, panicked and in need of help, to the upper level of the temple.

No one was up there but a balcony window was open. Setting your things on the ground, you cautiously walked out to the balcony. Leaning over the old railing, you didn’t see anything except the garden below. Confused, you turned to leave.

It took only a second. A rough shove. The railing gave way. The world turned upside down. The wind whistled in your ears. You were falling. You caught a glimpse of a few figures watching from above. You didn’t hear the shouts or arguing.

There was a loud crack that echoed through the quiet morning. Red mingled with the green grass. Lifeless eyes stared up at the cloudless, beautiful sky. A howling cry shook the temple.

\---------

He was a strange one you decided. Then again he was a god so maybe he was considered normal. Not that you knew much as he was the first god you had ever met. Despite his strangeness, he was kind to you.


	2. The Crow (Mammon/Reader)

The first time you learned of Mammon the God of Wealth your mother had taken you to his temple on the way home from the market. The temple was opulent with a pure golden statue in the center. Gold decorated the ceiling in an intricate pattern and studded with precious jewels. The obsidian crow that was perched on the marble throne had a single ruby for an eye and seemed to be watching you.

Your mother knelt at the altar after placing a single grim in the offering plate. Closing her eyes, she mumbled a prayer to the god. You stood at her side staring wide eyed all around you not really focusing on her. The torches lit up the immediate area, but the corners were shrouded in darkness. You thought there was someone standing in the shadows near the throne. If you squinted hard enough the vague shape of a person could almost be seen.

“Let us go.” Your mother’s voice caught your attention, shadows forgotten.

As you left the temple, you glanced up at her. “Why did we stop here?”

She pressed her lips together. “I was praying to Mammon to bless us with some money.”

“Can he really do that?” Your eyes widened at the thought of grim raining down from the sky or a large sack of money appearing on your bed.

“If he sees us worthy perhaps he might give us something. Mammon does not bless everyone who comes to him.” She sighed. “Understand this, my child, he may be the God of Wealth, but he is also the God of Greed. He may offer his favor to people, but he can easily take it away.”

“Why?” Your curiosity knew no end.

A mirthless chuckle left her lips. “The gods are finicky. Their feelings can change as quickly as the wind. Be careful when asking gods for favors. Their help never comes without a price.”

The talk ended abruptly once you came to your home. As your mother made dinner, you cleaned up. Your father was nowhere to be seen as usual. Dinner was a quiet affair and you went to bed. However your mind continued to wander to the opulent temple and the God of Wealth.

\---------

Your interest in the God of Wealth waned until you resented him. Your father gambled hard earned money away. Your mother never said a word, only praying to Mammon whenever she went into town. Despite all her prayers and offerings, things only became worse. 

Once there was no more money for your father to gamble, he borrowed. His debts piled up higher and faster than they could be taken care of. The little money you made at the local tavern was hidden away under a loose floorboard beneath your mattress. Your mother worked alongside you and took more work. However even that was not enough to set much food on the table.

On a cold and bitter day, she developed a deep cough that shook her to the bone. Your protests to stay home fell on deaf ears. She continued to work even as her hands shook with every cough. Even as she grew paler and skinnier, she worked and prayed. Her last breath was a prayer to the God of Wealth.

Your birthday came and went without celebration. Instead you mourned the death of your mother alone. Your father was too drunk to even come for the burial. The least you could do with your meager savings was to give her a proper burial. Standing over the freshly dug grave, you were alone.

No words came to mind as you stared at the headstone. No tears fell as you stood alone. Leaving the cemetery, you made the long trek back home. Night had fallen by the time you came to the familiar temple. In all its glory it stood out like an eyesore.

Without thought you stormed up the hill and into the temple. It was void of people like always. The offering plate, gold and encrusted with blue sapphires, was empty. You stood in front of the statue that loomed over all. Eyes narrowed, you gritted your teeth trying to find words.

“I hate you.” Your voice was barely a whisper. “You did nothing as my mother spent day after day coming to you. She always gave an offering even when we couldn’t afford to waste a single grim! And yet you did nothing!” Your voice rang through the temple.

Tears pricked in the corner of your eyes. “What kind of god are you?! How could you not answer her prayer at least once!? She worked herself to death, yet she still died with a prayer to you!” You stomped your foot. “She’s gone now… I’ll never be able to see her again. And you want to know the worst thing?” Throwing your arms open you felt your throat tighten. “My father doesn't even care!”

As the last words fell from your mouth, you let out a deep breath. Chest raising and falling rapidly, you licked your dry lips. “You might as well be like him.” Your tone had evened out as you peered up at the statue. “Worthless.”

Suddenly the torches blew out. A shrill wind echoed through the temple and nearly blew you over. Your hood was ripped off as the wind grew stronger and louder. Falling to your knees, you covered your head. Just as quickly as the wind came, it died. The torches lit up and the flames leapt high.

Raising your head, you looked around. The torches glowed an eerie yellow. “Oi! Who do ya think you’re calling names!” The voice shook you to the core. Sitting on the throne was a man. His skin was dark, his hair white like snow. Blue-gold eyes pieced into your soul. He wore an odd outfit that showed his chest.

You stumbled to your feet wanting to run, but you were glued to the spot. “W-who are you?”

“I’m the Great Mammon. How dare ya come into my temple and throw insults at me!” He frowned as he stood from the throne. “You humans sure are getting too comfortable.”

Your eyes wandered to the bat-like wings that protruded from his back. “Y-your the God of Wealth…?” He looked less like a god and more like a demon. The horns on his head did not scream god at all.

In front of you, he crossed his arms over his chest. “God of Wealth. God of Greed. Same thing, different day.” He cocked his head to the side as he observed you. “So ya weak human, whacha gotta say for yourself?”

You blinked once. Twice. Three times. The fear you felt slowly melted away as anger coursed through your veins. “What about you! You did nothing for my mother! She prayed to you daily. She offered grim to you daily! And you did nothing! What do you have to say for yourself!?” You jabbed a finger close to his face causing him to startle.

“I...I’m a god! I give my blessing to whoever I want! You’re not the boss of me!” He straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “You’re insulting the GREAT Mammon! Why should I bless a rude, weak human like you.”

You gave him a scathing look. “If you’re so great then why haven’t you blessed anyone? I haven’t heard about a single person blessed with great wealth.” Snorting you crossed your arms. “I bet you can’t actually do anything. You’re all talk and no action.”

“Whhhaaat!” He looked more insulted than before. “I can do whatever I want!” He started to sputter and wave his arms around. “I’ll prove ya wrong, stupid human!”

Rolling your eyes, you waved him off. “Whatever, stupid Mammon.” With a huff he snapped his fingers. The flames went out and the temple was empty except for you. Letting out a sigh, you left the temple and made your way home.

\---------

A few days passed and nothing changed, not that you expected anything from a useless god. Though a small part of you had hoped that maybe he would do something. It was a foolish part of you. Life would move on, and you would continue to work without the help of any gods.

Walking back from the market, your mind wandered to what your next plans would be. You had decided the day of your mother’s funeral you could no longer stay with your father. Saving up all you made from work would take time, but eventually you would have enough to escape. You planned to go somewhere far away where you could start anew.

A loud squawk pulled you from your thoughts. Off the side of the road, you noticed a rather large looking peacock and a crow. A strange sight to say the least as peacocks weren’t native to the land. Even stranger yet, the peacock seemed to be trampling all over the crow. The crow was squawking rather loudly while on its belly with wings spread out.

Setting your basket aside, you tentatively walked over. “Hey now, no need to fight.” The peacock stared up at you with its beady eyes. One slender foot held down the crow. “Come on. Get off him now.”

Waving your hands in a shooing motion, the peacock hopped off the crow and moved away. Peering down at the creature, you noted the bird didn’t look too bad. Maybe a bit dirty from being on the ground, but nothing seemed to be broken. The crow stood up and shook itself off before staring at you.

“Strange…” you muttered under your breath. Going back for your basket, you left the two animals as you continued on the road.

A loud caw made you turn just in time to see the crow flying toward you. “Hey!” You ducked as it barely missed your head. “What’s wrong with you, dumb crow! I just saved your ungrateful life!”

The animal circled your head before landing on your shoulder. You tried to catch your balance at the added weight. “H-Hey!”

“Stop moving, weak human!” a voice near your ear protested.

You froze before turning your head to stare at the crow. “W-what…!” Shaking the bird off, you stepped back as it tumbled to the ground.

“Hey, that hurt!” The voice indeed came from the bird. “You’re so rude! Throwing me off like that!”

As the crow fumed your mind slowly linked all the pieces together. Surprise and fear melted away. Free hand on your hip, you glared down at the angry bird. “Why are you here?”

Pausing in his rantings, the bird tilted his head back. “I’m here to bless ya.” He fluffed his feathers before flying into your basket.

“Hey get out of there!” You started shaking the basket.

“Stop! Stop!” His squawks were getting on your nerves. “I’m here to prove my powers!”

Pausing in your shaking, you lifted the basket up so you were eye to eye with the bird. “I don’t want your blessing you dumb god! Now get your dirty bird feet out of my basket.”

“No! You’re gonna get my blessing whether ya like it or not! Be grateful that I’m even doing this!” His feathers ruffled as he preened himself.

Exasperated, you trudged home with the god turned bird. Once inside, you lifted him out of your basket and on to the ground. You ignored his protest as you set the rest of your things on the table. 

“Why are you a bird?” you asked.

He watched you from his perch on a stool. “Because it’s much cooler this way.”

“Sure it is. Also weren’t you getting beat up by a peacock earlier?” You started slicing the carrots.

“...” You glanced over and saw what looked like a sulking bird.

“Never mind. So how are you going to bless me?” The sliced carrots went into the pot. “Do you lay golden eggs or something?”

“Of course not!” He flapped his wings. “Behold a gift from THE Mammon!” Turning to him, you watched as he placed a small emerald stone on the table.

An eyebrow went up. “That’s it?” Sure you had never held an emerald in your life, but being the God of Wealth you had expected something more.

“What do ya mean ‘that’s it’?! Be glad I even thought of giving something so valuable!” He stamped his tiny crow foot.

Picking up the stone, it was no bigger than a pea. “Being the God of Wealth, I thought you’d manifest gold bars or something more impressive.” You set the stone back on the table and went back to chopping.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!” You heard him flap his wings. “I’ll...I’ll get you more! Everyday you’ll get something! Just ya wait. You’ll be singing my praises soon enough!”

The front door opened and your father stumbled in. The smell of liquor was strong. He staggered to a seat and plopped down. “W-what’s for food?”

“Vegetable soup.” You didn’t even turn to greet him as you worked.

He slumped on the table, and glared at Mammon. “What’s dis filt...filthy animal doing ‘ere?”

“I’m not filthy! I’m Mammon the God of Wealth!” he screeched.

“Ugh! Shud up you dumb bird with your loud chirping!” Your father swatted at him and Mammon flew off the table and perched on your head.

“Ow! Get your feet off my head!” You waved the knife around. He quickly settled on your shoulder instead. “Fine. Stay there.”

The room fell into silence as you worked. You could hear Mammon muttering under his breath. From your father’s reaction, you came to the conclusion that he couldn’t understand a word Mammon had said. At least you didn’t have to explain why there was a talking bird.

Suddenly your father stood up. “Gonna go for a drink.” He stumbled out of the house and the door slammed shut.

“Who was that idiot?”

“My father. He’s always either drunk, hungover or a mixture of both.” Finishing the chopping, you seasoned the soup before letting it cook.

Turning back to the table you noted the emerald was gone. “Figures he would take that. He’s only aware when it comes to money.”

Mammon hopped on the table. “He took my emerald! Um…your emerald!”

You waved him off. “Let him have it.”

Once the soup was cooked, you started to ladle some in a bowl. “Hey give me some!”

“Can you even eat?” You were skeptical, but grabbed another bowl.

“Gimmie.” A hand took the bowl from you. 

You stared at the now human looking god. The horns were gone and he was dressed in normal clothes. He looked like any other person.

You slowly sat down as you eyed him. “What, uh, happened to the horns? And the weird outfit?”

He shoved the soup in his mouth. “My outfit ain’t weird!” Mammon tried to scowl but the way his cheeks bulged made it difficult to look scary. “That was my other form anyways. I wanted to scare ya.”

Filling his already empty bowl, you shook your head. “So what are you going to do? Stay here with me or something?”

“Yeah. I’ll crash here and get ya stuff everyday. You’ll see how great I am.” He smirked.

Rolling your eyes, you weren’t pleased. “If you have to stay with me, you need to say in your crow form when outside. I don’t need people wondering why there’s a strange man at my home.”

“Whatever.” He held out his bowl. “This is good...uh for human food.”

“Right.” At least your meal wasn’t going to waste.

\---------

As a few months went by, you grew used to Mammon in your life. For once you had someone to talk to besides your mother. He made conversations interesting to say the least; there was never a dull moment with him around. He was bratty at times, but you chalked it up to him being him. You hated to admit it, but you were fond of him and his rantings. You put him to work as he liked to eat your food. Mammon kept his promise and brought you a gem a day. You continued to save them until you decided you had a good amount to sell.

“Hey, what are ya gonna do with the gems I’ve been giving ya?” Mammon asked as he chopped an onion. “You haven’t used them at all! How are ya supposed to get rich if you don't do nothing with them?”

You were busy rolling out a thin sheet of dough. “I’m saving them to take them to the local jeweler today.”

“I wanna come.” He started sniffing. “These are hurting my eyes!”

“Don’t touch your eyes!” You gently slapped his hand away from his face. “You’ll just hurt your eyes more. Didn’t think gods could be affected by chopping onions…” You took the knife from him, and passed him a cool cloth.

“Ugh you dumb humans must love to torture yourselves.” He frowned but hovered over you as you finished up the rest of the pot pie. “What do ya plan to do with the money?”

“Once I get enough, I’m going to take a boat somewhere to a different port city. And take the exam to become a professor.” You sliced small holes on the pie cover before shoving it in the clay oven.

Mammon popped a spare carrot in his mouth. “So we going to the jeweler guy now?”

“I am going. You stay here.” You quickly cleaned up and went back to your room to grab the pouch of jewels. When Mammon, now in crow form, landed on your shoulder, you just rolled your eyes. “Just don’t make too much noise.”

The walk to the jewelers took you to the fancier parts of town. You nervously smoothed down the wrinkles in your clothes before entering. The jeweler was younger than you expected, but the sneer on his lips said everything. You weren’t rich looking, so why were you in there to waste his time?

Coming up to the counter, you set the bag of gems in front of him. “I would like these assessed for selling,” you mumbled.

Mammon hopped on your shoulder before landing on the counter. The jeweler pulled away in disgust before gingerly taking the pouch. He emptied the gems in a tray. “Where did you get these?” He was already peering at a ruby through his scope.

“Uh…my mother left them to me before she passed.” The lie burned your throat, but you knew it was for the best. You didn’t want him to think you stole them.

As the jeweler appraised the gems, your eyes wandered around the store. The jewelry on display gleamed and sparkled. Some were small and delicate pieces while others were large and gaudy. All were probably worth more than you could ever imagine. You were afraid to move from your spot. It was better to stay where you were rather than wander around the store.

After a little bit, the jeweler set down his scope. “Well these are exquisitely cut. I can offer you this much for them.” He slipped a piece of paper to you with the amount.

Eyes widening, you had never seen that many digits before. You glanced down at Mammon who was preening himself. He looked up at you and squawked, “He’s giving you a fair price. Surprisingly, he’s not trying to cheat ya.”

Clearing your throat, you nodded. “I’ll take your offer.” 

The man raised an eyebrow at Mammon before taking the tray of gems away to the back room. He returned with a purse of grim. “The amount as promised. If you wish to do business in the future, please don’t hesitate to come in.” He gave a small bow.

Taking the money, you tied the bag to your belt and made sure it was hidden. Mammon flew back on your shoulder as you left. The walk home was quiet as you nearly ran there. Once home, you immediately placed the money in your hiding spot. Coming back to the kitchen, Mammon was checking on the pies.

“Thank you!” You wrapped your arms around his waist to hug him the second he turned around. He smelled good, like honey and fresh parchment.

“H-hey! What's the big i-idea! D-don’t just hug me out of nowhere human!” You ignored his cries. He had made no move to push you off, and seemed to actually melt into your embrace.

His arms slowly came to wrap around you. “I think I have enough to finally leave this place and take the exam for teaching.” You looked up at him with a bright smile. “I know I said some mean things to you back then, and I hope you can forgive me.”

“Well I don’t know… You were awfully rude to me,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact.

You chuckled as you pulled out of the hug. His arms fell to his side. “I’ll make it up to you. I can make you a special dinner and dessert. And I’ll even do something for you. Just ask.”

He seemed to perk up a bit at your last words. “Anything I want?”

“Nothing too weird, though.” You turned the pies around to ensure they cooked fully. Glancing at him from over his shoulder, you eyed him thoughtfully. “As long as your request is within my power to give, I’ll do it.”

A sly grin formed on his face. “How ‘bout a kiss?” He tapped his cheek.

You rolled your eyes. “Really that’s what you want? You could even ask me to dance a jig while shouting how great you are, and you want a kiss?”

He shrugged. “Not like I expect you to do it,” he mumbled loud enough for you to hear. He turned away from you as he pulled the dishes out. “Fine. Let me think, and I’ll come up with a good request.”

You gazed at his back with a small smile. Your heart thudded against your chest as you moved over to him. “Mammon?”

“Just give me some time, human! I don’t usually get to make requests, so I don’t know what to ask f-” He had turned around to lecture you, but stopped short when he realized you were close to him.

Reaching up, you cupped the side of his face. Standing on your toes, you placed a kiss on the corner of his lips. Mammon took a sharp breath through his nose; his body not moving an inch. Pulling away, you observed him. A mixture of surprise, fear and want reflected clearly in his eyes. One thing about Mammon was that he wore a lot of his emotions on his sleeve. Most times his moods were easy to read.

“I won’t count that towards your request.” You started to move away, but he held on to your wrist. His hold was loose enough that you could pull away if you wanted to. A gentle tug, and you were brought back into his arms. Your cheek was pressed against his chest; his heart was pounding wildly.

Mammon tipped your chin up. His eyes bore into your own seeking for something. Seeming to find what it was he was looking for, he leaned down. He was giving you the chance to pull away. His kiss was hesitant at first; just a brush of the lips. Then he kissed you firmer and with more passion.

Your hands found purchase in his shirt as he kissed you. His tongue licked the seam of your lips before entering your mouth. His arms had wrapped around you to pull you as close as he could to his body. Your hands somehow found their way to his hair. You gently tug at the ends causing him to moan.

Eventually you needed to pull away for air. Pressing your forehead against his, you licked your lips. He watched you with hunger in his eyes. “Will you come with me?” you asked.

He needed to clear his head before processing your question. “You want me to come with you?”

You nodded. “You’ve become a part of my life that I can’t imagine you not being there. I’d miss you. A lot.”

The tips of his ears had turned red. “O-of course you’d miss me. Who wouldn’t? I guess I could stay a little longer with ya if you really can’t live without me.”

Laughter escaped your lips at his words. You gave him a quick kiss on the lips before moving away. “Right then. We should eat before the food burn.”

You missed the adoring look in his eyes as you pulled the pies out of the oven.


	3. God of War (Satan/Reader)

No remorse. No hesitation. Those two things would get anyone killed in the arena no matter how skilled a fighter they might be.

You felt the sweat sliding down your face as you caught your breath. Your cuts and bruises hurt but you ignored them. The hot sun beat on your back as you stood over your opponent. The cheer of the crowd was lost to you as your focus was solely on the fight. Blade raised high, you brought it down in a graceful arc. Blood stained the dirt and the light from your opponent's eyes went out.

“And we have a winner!” The announcer’s voice echoed through the stadium. “Your favorite fighter has done it again! Undefeated for the tenth time in a row, Demon Crusher!!!”

The crowd screamed and stopped their feet. You watched them blankly, counting the seconds you could finally leave and collect your money. “Is anyone willing to take on this mighty foe? The reward will be tripled if anyone can bring the demon down!”

As people whispered among each other, you felt the tingling pain from the minor cuts you had received. The adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, and the pain was starting to set in. You winced as a few bones popped when you shifted. You didn’t know why they bothered to see if anyone wanted to challenge you. The spectators weren’t seasoned fighters; some had never held a weapon before. The first and only time someone had tried to take the challenge, after your third undefeated match, they ended up knocked on their butts in five seconds.

“No one?” There was a pause. “Alright, folks, I guess our little demon here continues to be our champion! Let’s give it up fo-”

“I’ll fight.” You felt the shift in the audience as all eyes turned to the new voice.

Turning to the entrance, you watched as he stepped out into the open. He walked with confidence and was dressed rather nicely; definitely not a common person. Sea green eyes seemed to stare right into you, but you held your ground; chin up and eyes glaring right back at him. His golden hair reminded you of the marigolds that once grew on your grandparents’ farm.

“What’s your name?” the announcer asked, interest coloring his tone.

“Satan.” You scoffed as the crowd buzzed among themselves.

The announcer grinned as he gestured for someone to give the man a weapon and shield. “Ladies and gentlemen I think we’re in for a real treat! The Demon Crusher will face off against Satan!”

Cheers and shouts erupted as you took your place across from him. He swung his short sword through the air. His posture seemed relaxed and almost lazy. You readied yourself.

“Fight!!!” You closed the distance between you two, and swung the blade down. Your blade met the disk shield attached to his wrist. You quickly darted backwards as his blade nearly sliced you down the middle.

You took a defensive stance as you two slowly circled each other. “I thought you would be more of a challenge,” he commented. “I’ve heard so much about the great Demon Crusher, and I’m sorely disappointed.”

You scowled. “Did you name yourself Satan?”

An eyebrow went up. “Why?”

“Isn’t it a bit narcissistic to name yourself after a god? Especially a god of war?” You cocked your head to the side. “Why don’t you stop flapping your mouth and let your fighting speak!” you spat before lunging at him.

Ducking past his sword you caught his ankle with your leg. He went tumbling to the ground. Turning sharply, you brought your blade down, but he swiftly rolled out of the way. The cries and shouts were a buzzing in the background. There was something dangerous about this man. Something that screamed for you to run or finish the fight as quickly as possible.

He came at you in a flurry of motions. As he kept bringing his blade down, you found yourself being slowly pushed backwards. Keeping up the defensive was your only option as he didn’t let up. The gleam in his sea green eyes scared you more than the almost maniacal grin on his face.

As you blocked his next attack, his foot found your stomach and you were kicked hard. You felt the wind knocked out of you as you fell on your back. Your head harshly hit the dirt ground. Your vision blurred as he brought his blade down. You barely blocked his sword with your shield before giving him a hard kick to the knee and rolling away.

Coughing as you pulled yourself to your feet, barely managed to catch your breath as he was attacking you again. Your blade met his shield and your shield met his blade. You were both locked into a stalemate. However you felt your foothold slipping as you tried to find purchase in the ground.

“You fight well,” he hissed, his face very close to your own. “I haven’t been able to let off steam like this in such a long time. I guess your kind isn’t as weak as I thought.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You ground your teeth together. “But I will tell you one thing.”

“Oh?” He was toying with you. The way his eyes lit up sent a shiver down your spine.

“I. Will. Not. Lose!” You slammed your forehead against his and sent him stumbling backward. 

For a split second you saw surprise on his face. However the pain from the headbutt made you stumble back a bit as black spots danced in your vision. The skin on your forehead had split and blood started dripping. You could hear a loud ringing in your ears as you tried to shake the pain away. You wiped the blood away with the back of your hand.

As the ringing faded, you could hear something else. The cheers and shouts had stopped all together. It was only the sound of a deep, almost hysterical laughter that filled the stadium. Your opponent was standing there laughing as blood slid down his face.

He turned back to you. “I like you.” The blood covering his face made him look like a monster. “However I need to end this little game of ours short.”

You blinked and you were staring up at him, his sword pointed at your throat. You slowly started to register that you had been knocked down. You hadn’t even seen him move or felt the blow. “W-what…?”

He peered down at you, the tip of his blade breaking the skin on your throat. “I want to fight again. Soon.” Then he was gone and you were staring at the sky.

“H-hey wait!” You could hear the announcer calling out to the man. Slowly pulling yourself up, you touched your neck. He had vanished just as quickly as he had come. You didn’t know who he was but you had a feeling that you were lucky to be alive.

\---------

A few weeks passed without incident. You were still bitter over losing to a stranger named after a god. Sitting on the back step of your home, you mindlessly threw seeds at the chicken. Having finally lost, you weren’t allowed back in the stadium as a fighter. Rising to the top and falling to the bottom could happen so quickly, and no one batted an eye.

Finished feeding the chicken, you headed to your small field to water the crops. You mind wandered off to what you would do to make money. Fighting in the stadium was a high risk, high reward game. You fought for the money not for the fame or enjoyment. You had already gotten a job working in the local library, which was much safer if not mundane. 

After carefully attending to your crops, you made your way back home. However you slowed your walk as you noticed something off. Your chickens were nowhere to be seen. They usually stayed in the back of the yard making noises. Also your only goat, Nana, hadn’t come to greet you. She usually would be trotting up the pathway to butt you in the stomach.

As you got closer, you realized why it was so quiet. A familiar blond man stood in front of your door. Brows drawing together, you walked up to him. “What are you doing here?” you demanded.

His lips quirked up into an amused smile. “I said I would find you to fight again. You left the stadium.”

Arms crossed and lips pressed together, you scoffed. “Whose fault is that? I lost so I’m not allowed back in the stadium as a fighter unless I’m invited.”

He glanced around. “You people do have strange rules.”

Nana came jogging over to you and rubbed her head against your thigh. “What do you want?” you asked once more.

“To fight of course.” He eyed you expectantly.

Rubbing Nana behind the ear, you shook your head. “I’m not fighting you. I only fought you then because I wanted to win the tournament. Now get off my land.”

Guiding the goat back to the chicken, you ignored the blond as he followed. The chickens squawked loudly as the goat ran through their group. You turned back to Satan once you were at the entrance to the back door.

“Leave. I’m not fighting you.” Your scowl did not faze him.

“Really? I thought you’d be bouncing at the idea of beating me. After all, I did win.” His sea green eyes seemed to glow. You blinked and his eyes were normal.

You suddenly felt a boiling anger settle in your stomach. “You cheated,” you hissed. “There’s no way you could move that fast all of a sudden.” The anger bubbled and simmered deep inside you.

He feigned ignorance as he cocked his head to the side. “I think that’s just an excuse. Maybe you’re not as good of a fighter as you thought.”

Your hands curled into fists, nails biting into your palm. “Excuse you?! I have fought in countless wars. I used to be a general!” Acidic anger clawed at your throat. “You…”

Shrugging, he turned his back away. “Maybe you were once a general, but all I see is a washed up soldier.”

A strangled growl fell from your lips as you charged at him. Your fists were raised to strike the back of his head. Red clouded your vision as he effortlessly dodged, and swung at you. You blocked him, and ducked under his other swinging fist.

“You know nothing about me!” Your scream scared the chicken. You aimed a kick to his temple, which he blocked with his arms.

His eyes sparked with glee. You dodged left but his foot found your backside. You fell on the ground. Rolling over, you narrowly missed a heel to your stomach. Catching his leg with your foot, you knocked him off his feet. He landed on the ground as you scrambled to your feet.

One foot pressed on his chest, you flared down at him. “Yield.”

Despite the dirt and sweat, he looked unfazed with his smile. You used your other foot to push pressure on his hand. His eyes were a blue-green fire ready to consume you.

“I yield.” His voice was rough. 

You moved your foot off him. As he pulled himself together, the fire that had been burning inside you quickly died. The burning anger you had felt sizzled out as quickly as it had appeared. 

A frown marred your face. “What’s gotten into me,” you muttered to yourself.

Satan watched you curiously. “Not bad. I’ll want a rematch later.”

“Rematch? There’s not going to be a rematch,” you said, brows pinching together.

The blond chuckled. “We’ll see about that.” He waved before leaving.

Clenching your jaw, you stormed back inside your home. Muttering curses under your breath, you started preparing dinner. Fiery eyes haunted your dreams.

On and off Satan appeared at your home to fight. And every time you somehow found yourself brawling with him. His very presence caused anger to well up inside you. It cooled the moment one of you lost. You were evenly matched, so the score always balanced itself out.

However one particular match changed everything.

You laid on your back; your arms pinned down by his iron grip. He straddled your waist as he hovered over you. You were both panting from the exertion of the fight. Your body ached from taking hits, but you refused to yield. 

“You’re very stubborn. More so than others I’ve fought,” he commented. His eyes are fixated on your face. “Yield.”

You lifted your head just a bit, your nose brushed his, as you glared back. “No.” Despite the tiredness in your limbs, you didn’t want to stop.

The air felt electric as you stared at each other. You don’t know who moved first, but you were suddenly kissing. It was all teeth and tongue; there was nothing gentle about it. You wanted to dominate him, but he wouldn’t let you. Another fight had started.

You didn’t recall when you dragged him from the backyard to your bed. You didn’t remember when you had stripped him of his clothes. Nor did you remember when he had pulled you out of yours.

Your cries of passion filled the quiet afternoon.

\---------

You woke with the sensation of hands trailing down your back. Fingers mapped the scars that litter your body. Satan remained silent even as you shifted on to your back.

“Nearly got killed by a lion. The enemy actually tried to use lions in battle,” you murmured.

His finger traced a jagged scar just between your fourth and fifth rib. “An enemy soldier got a little to close with a dagger. Actually had the gall to infiltrate our camp. I just happen to be the lucky one to be stabbed.”

Peering up at him, your eyes took in his features. Bruises decorated his throat and chest. A small smile formed on your face as you recalled leaving marks on his thighs as well.

However he wasn't the only one with bruises. He had left trails of bite marks on your collar bone and chest. You probably had them between your thighs as well as you recalled the stinging bites that were quickly soothed by his tongue.

“Why did you leave the army?” he asked. He watched you as your smile dropped.

“They left me no choice. I was manipulated and lied to. The higher ups used me to kill innocent people.” You clenched your teeth together. “In the end I was forced to leave or be marked as a criminal.”

He remained silent. Yet you saw no judgement in his gaze. You looked away. “My life as a soldier is a touchy topic, which I’m sure you’ve noticed. Everyone had to serve at least two years, and I chose to stay even after my term was done. I thought I was doing something good. But in the end I became a monster who slaughtered innocent civilians.”

“You didn’t know,” he pointed out.

Sitting up, you shook your head. “Perhaps. But that will always haunt me.” Getting out of bed, you wandered around your room collecting the tossed clothes. “I don’t like being manipulated. You’re very good at getting me to fight you. I resent that.”

“You won’t fight me willing.” You heard the wooden floorboards creak under his weight.

“I’m willing to spar most days, you just have to ask. Nicely.” You tossed a towel behind you. “I’m going to heat up some water for a bath. You can join me if you wish.”

As you left Satan in the bedroom, you started humming under your breath. You felt refreshed for once. You bit your lip when you heard his footfalls. 

From then on things shifted. Satan would still come to fight with you. However some days your fighting moved to the bedroom. Those days you made dinner and chatted. He would sometimes stay the night. Other times he would leave with the promise to return.

Sometimes you wouldn’t hear from him for weeks, even months on end. You never really worried much about him being away for so long because you knew he would eventually return. When he did show up, you never asked where he went, and he never told you. Satan had his secrets just like everyone else. You respected his need to keep to himself as he never tried to get more information from you than you were willing to give.

Life fell into place, and you never thought much about the after.

\---------

Sunlight filtered through the window. You groaned before opening your eyes. Turning to Satan, you found yourself studying him once more.

He sat in bed with one of the many books you had borrowed from work. He seemed immersed in whatever it was. His brows creased slightly in concentration. The sunlight created a halo effect around him. He really was beautiful. Inhumanly so.

“I didn’t know you liked to read,” you commented. 

He didn’t even look up. “I have other interests besides fighting. Reading keeps me... grounded. Sometimes.”

You moved closer to him taking a peek at the book. “I didn’t take you for a romance type.”

He chuckled. “I like most genres. There’s always something new to learn.”

“I won’t argue with you on that.” Resting your head on his shoulder, you closed your eyes. “Can you read to me?”

“Alright.” Amusement colored his voice. 

You lost yourself in his soft baritone as he read aloud. His voice was calming when reading. It was different from when you sparred with him. Reading to you, he was like a completely different person.

His voice lulled you back to sleep.

Later in the evening, you were busy feeding the chicken. Satan had volunteered to make lunch while you did some work. Nana wandered around trying to headbutt the chickens.

Tossing the rest of the corn to the chicken, you sighed. Crouching, you rubbed under the goat’s ears. “Stop scaring the ladies, Nana. Now go to your pen.”

She bleated loudly before trotting off. Shaking your head, you stood up brushing off dirt from your knees. You paused when you saw a figure standing down the road.

As the figure got closer, you noted it was a man impeccably dressed. Brows drawing together, you waited and watched as he walked towards you. The dying sunlight reflected off his obsidian black hair. Red eyes seemed to glitter like gems. A shiver went down your spine as you met his gaze. 

“Can I help you?” you asked, cautious.

“Good afternoon.” He gave a slight bow. Gloves covered his hands you noted. “I am looking for Satan.”

“What do you need from him?” You crossed your arms.

“My brother has been causing...problems. I have come to fetch him to return home,” he explained. His voice was smooth and calm. Yet there was something very predatory about him.

“I don’t know who you are, but I can’t help you. He’s not here.” You let the lie slip past your lips easily. There was something about this man that reminded you of the first time you met Satan. He was dangerous.

A single, elegant eyebrow went up. “Really? I believe he is here, though. Lying isn’t very becoming.”

The low pitch of his tone sent warning bells off in your mind. Your fight or flight response was kicking in. You planted your feet firmly in the ground. “I don’t k-“

“Lucifer.” Satan came out from the back door standing in front of you. You turned to him, but his gaze was locked on the man. You had never seen such hatred in his eyes before. You ignored the fact that his brother happened to be named after a god as well.

“Come home, Satan.” His tone left no room for argument. 

Yet Satan merely scowled. “I don’t take orders from you. Leave me alone.”

“You’ve been spending too much time in the human realm. Starting wars just to satisfy your rage has not gone unnoticed.” His red eyes flashed. “Come home now or the consequences will be worse.”

“Whose fault is it that I need an outlet to control my anger?” he hissed.

Anger radiated off of Satan in waves. You found yourself taking a step toward him. Your hand hovered over his shoulder wanting to do something. “Satan…”

Lucifer’s gaze locked with your own. “Tell me, human, do you know what he is?”

You blinked, surprised he was addressing you. “I…I don’t know what you mean.”

Guard up, Satan tried to hide you behind him. “Don’t.”

The dark haired man crossed his arms and shook his head. “You’ve been spending all this time with this human and haven’t said anything about who you really are. Yet, you’ve used your powers for manipulation.”

“What?” Your eyes darted to Satan and back to Lucifer.

“I’ll put it simply. We are gods. Satan is the God of War. Usually we keep our true identities a secret from humans. Of course exceptions can be made for those we become…involved with.” He watched your facial expressions.

Satan stood there in stony silence. “You expect me to believe this?” you spat. Though a small part of you said he was telling the truth.

“I realize it might be hard to believe, but I have no reason to lie. Tell me have you found yourself filled with sudden anger?” His gaze settled on Satan. You also stared at him, eyes boring holes in the back of his head.

You recalled the times you had fought with Satan before things had changed. He had always provoked you each time to get you to fight. Those times you were always filled with a rage that came quickly. It burned deeply and hotly. Then it would disappear once the fight was over. 

A single black eyebrow went up. “I’ll take your silence as a yes. Being the God of War, Satan has the ability to instill rage in humans. It’s an anger that comes suddenly and can not be tempered. This rage allows him to push mortals to war. And it allows him to continue to fight.”

Your hands shook as your thoughts raced. During those times he had been influencing you. He had twisted your emotions to what suited him. The lump forming in your throat made it hard to breathe. Your mind raced as unanswered questions filled your mind.

“Did...did you really do that to me?” you asked, voice barely a whisper. 

He didn’t turn to you but merely hung his head. You felt bile rising up your throat. Anger clawed up your stomach wanting to lash out. However you swallowed it down.

You slowly backed up. “I think you should go.” You made it to your doorway still staring at the two. Cold red eyes met your own before you closed the door. 

\---------

You ignored the chicken as you hastily threw their feed around. A few months had passed and Satan hadn’t returned. You didn’t even know if you wanted him back. After the scene with his brother, you had spent a lot of time in thought. You went over the time you spent with him, trying to figure out if he had ever shown you a glimpse of his other side.

The only time you could think was the first time you met. The way he moved so quickly to knock you over in the arena was inhuman. He had shown a bit of his true strength then. You didn’t like to think of the times you fought with him when he taunted you. Those times you were blinded by a rage that was not your own making. Of course after things had changed between you two, the inexplicable rage never occurred. He had stopped using his powers on you then.

“Perhaps I was too hasty in judging him. I tried not to let my anger get the better of me, but in the end it did. What do you think, Nana?” She stared at you blankly while eating grass. “You’re not much help, girl.”

Sighing, you shook your head. “Too late to change anything now. I don’t even know where he went or how to contact him.” Standing, you started to gather your tools.

“Is this the place?”

“Looks like a dump.”

“Oh, but it is cute in a quaint way.”

You went to the front of the house to see three men standing at your door. They were all dressed exquisitely. You had a bad feeling about them. “Do you need something?”

Six pairs of eyes fell on you. Yes, there was something bad about them. “Are ya Satan’s human?” the white haired man asked.

You paused. You knew the myth of the seven brothers. All gods, and all powerful. They had joined with the new gods to overthrow the old ones. If what Lucifer had said was true, then these three were most likely the other brothers. You didn’t know if you wanted to deal with more gods.

Your silence had been too long because the beautiful brunette stepped closer to you. “Hmm? You are quite fetching for a human. What could such a human see in Satan?”

Taking a step back, you finally found your voice. “What do you want. I’m tired of dealing with gods.”

“You need to talk some sense into him before all you normies die.” Your attention to the one with orange eyes and purple hair. He was a very strange looking one. He stood out even more than the white haired one. You were honestly surprised he could walk around with hair that color and no one seemed bothered.

You finally pulled your thoughts away from his hair to realize what he had said. “What do you mean?”

It was the white haired one who spoke. “Didn’t ya hear, humans in other countries are locked in a never ending war. Satan is the God of War, which means he also decides which side wins.”

“Since he hasn’t been doing his job, the wars have been locked in a stalemate. All these humans are too busy fighting that they’ve forgotten to visit my temples.” The brunette sighed dramatically.

You did recall hearing some people gossip about wars going on in other countries. However you paid them no mind as war wasn’t anything new. However if the wars weren’t ending, then the countries would be stuck continuing to fight. The lives of the people would be severely impacted with a long war. So far it was peaceful where you lived, but you knew that could end easily.

“What do you want me to do? Tell Satan to do his job?” You shook your head. “We aren’t on good terms right now if you aren’t aware.”

“That’s why ya comin' with us. Make up with him and everything will go back to normal. Then the humans will go back to offerin' gifts and money to me. Grab her, Asmo!” The white haired one grabbed your one arm with the brunette holding your other arm.

“Hey!” You tried to pull out of their grasp but you suddenly felt dizzy. The world spun, and you quickly clamped your eyes shut. Once the world felt stable, you opened your eyes and pulled away from him.

“The normie could’ve been torn apart. I’m pretty sure Satan would kill us if that happened.”

“Shut up, Levi! I know what I’m doin’!”

Looking around you were in a hallway. You didn’t have time to look around as a hand pressed against your back. “Just go in and make up with him. Maybe put that bed of his to good use,” Asmo whispered in your ear. Opening a door to a room, he shoved you inside and it slammed shut.

You twisted the door knob, but it wouldn’t budge. “Hey! Let me out!” You banged on the door a few times, but there was no answer. Huffing in annoyance, you finally looked around the room you had been unceremoniously shoved into.

The entire room was filled with books stacked precariously on top of each other. You couldn’t even see the ceiling. There was barely any floor to be seen except for a strategically made trail that went around the room. As you followed the trail, you caught glimpses of titles you had never heard of before; some were in completely different languages. You were too afraid of knocking down the towers of books to even touch one

Finally you turned a corner that did not contain all books. Satan sat on a bed that had books covering most of it. His back was to you as he seemed to be staring at a shelf. You crept closer not really sure what to say. Standing near the bedpost, you cleared your throat.

“Go away,” he muttered.

“I would if I could open the door,” you said, watching as he turned around.

You noted the dark circles under his eyes. “Why are you here?”

“Your brothers kidnapped me.” You glanced around before gesturing around you. “I can see you really like to read.”

“Why are you here?” he asked once more.

You sighed. “I guess I wanted to talk. That day I was angry at you. Now that I’ve had some time alone, I wanted to hear from you. Why did you do it?”

Dull sea green eyes looked away. “Do you know how I was born?”

You shrugged. “You were born like the other gods, from the first god.”

“No. I was born from the rage and anger of humans. The first humans to engage in war gave birth to me. Of course with a little help from Lucifer..." He stared at his hands. “Because of that, I’ve always been filled with wrath. Yet, I’m not allowed to express it unless I’m fighting. Only then can I be my true self. I’ve spent millennia learning to hide my fury because if I let it consume me, all humans would be gone. The new and old gods couldn’t let that happen. The old gods devised a plan.”

He fell silent. “So what happened?”

“I was given the title of God of War as a means to get humans to worship me. The old gods thought that if that happened, it could temper my wrath.” He let out a hollow chuckle. “Humans prayed to me for victory in war. I was allowed to fight in those wars, and the side I picked would become the victors. They thought this was enough to satisfy me. It wasn’t though. After the war, I was still told to reign myself in. I couldn’t start wars as freely now either. After an argument with Lucifer, I met you.”

You slowly started piecing the information together. “You fought me in the arena as a way to quell the rage inside you. And you kept coming back.”

“I fought you with my human strength as I wasn’t allowed to kill unnecessarily. When you refused to fight me, I coaxed your own anger out. Fighting a single person versus fighting in a war is different. For once I could channel myself into a single target.” He turned back to you. “I promise I never used my powers on you after we-”

You nodded. “I figured. Why didn’t you tell me the truth? We spent so much time together, and you knew so much about me. I would have rather heard the truth from you and not your brother.”

“I was scared. A god scared? It happens more than you humans think.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Being with you quieted my wrath. I learned to feel other emotions that I didn’t realize I had; positive ones. If I told you the truth, I was afraid you wouldn’t accept me.”

“Do you really think that I wouldn’t have accepted you? After everything I told you, do you really think I would have turned you away?” He couldn’t meet your gaze. “I would have been upset for a while. But in the end I would have accepted it. You are who you are, Satan. You should have believed in me more.”

“I know. For all my knowledge and reading, I didn’t know how to handle this. I’ve never been close to a human besides in battle,” he admitted.

“Well I can say you did a decent job fooling me. But I don’t hate you for what you did to me. I know you won’t manipulate my emotions now. So, are you going to stop those wars?” You moved so that you stood in front of him.

He looked up. “I will.”

“Good. Maybe after you can come back to my farm?” You took his hand, and pulled him to his feet. “Nana misses you.”

There was a spark of warmth in his eyes. “Does anyone else miss me?”

“Hmm… Maybe the chickens.” A teasing grin was on your lips. “But mostly me.” Capturing his face between your hands, you kissed him. His arms encircled your waist to pull you closer. As always he tried to take control. You pulled away just enough to look into his eyes. “I really missed you.”

Fire burned in his eyes as he pulled you in for another kiss.


	4. Lasting Affection (Diavolo/Reader)

Standing in front of a god was never something you thought would happen. However you stood in front of the most revered god of them all. The god smiled at you pleasantly, which was at odds at the gloomy atmosphere of the underworld. His vibrate red hair was like a beacon of light in the otherwise dark area.

“I haven’t had a human visit me in…” he paused but moved on “well it’s been a very long time. I hope your trip down here was a nice one.”

You bit your tongue as a sarcastic remark almost left your mouth. “The trip was…satisfactory. I thank you for seeing me, my lord.” You bowed your head. “I come here because my little sister is here.”

You glanced up at him. “Oh? Did she come to visit as well?” You didn’t know whether he was feigning ignorance or he truly did not know.

“She…died a few weeks ago. I-my parents are beside themselves with grief. So I come to you asking to let her come back to us. Please.” You bowed lower.

There was silence before the god spoke, his tone was soft but firm. “I’m sorry about your loss. However a soul cannot leave the realm of the dead.”

Squeezing your eyes shut, you let out a deep breath before falling to your knees. Your forehead touched the ground. “Please! I will give you anything in exchange for her life. She was too young to have died; she has so much to live for! I beg of you!”

“Please rise.” You slowly stood up and met his golden gaze. “If I asked for your life in exchange for hers, would you give it?”

“Yes!” you answered without hesitation.

“I’m sure your parents would miss you.” He was watching you intently. Yet you could not tell what he was thinking.

You finally looked away. “My parents already have an eldest to take care of them and continue the family line as well as take over the business. My sister is the hope for the future. She’s brilliant, frighteningly so. She would be the first to go to school and beyond. I am nothing but a burden to my parents. An extra mouth to feed who cannot bring much home.”

The words stung yet they were true. You had heard your parents whisper about you on nights they thought you were fast asleep. You weren’t smart enough to send to school; it would be a waste of money. Nor were you going to inherit the family store since your brother was the eldest. You spent your days trying to help as best as you could. But you knew you really had no place at home. Your parents still loved you, but you weren’t useful.

The god frowned. “Tell me something. What is your talent?”

“My talent?” Your brows drew together. “I…I guess I’m good at gardening.” You could see the small pots where beautiful plants grew in the backyard. Despite your green thumb, it was a useless talent as your parents didn’t own enough land to be farmers.

A grin stretched across his face. His teeth were blindingly white with sharp edges to them. “That’s wonderful!” His voice echoed in the large chamber. “You seem clever as well since you got past Cerberus, so how about a deal.”

You fidgeted nervously. A deal was a god was not to be taken lightly. You had heard of how gods could twist their words to suit their needs. You needed to be cautious and think over his words. Yet something deep inside you whispered that he was not going to trick you. “What deal do you propose?”

“You will stay here for six months and tend to my garden in exchange for your sister’s soul. You see I’m not the best when it comes to taking care of living things. If you can tidy up the garden within six months, you are free to go back home. If not, I will have to take your soul to make you one of the dead. How does that sound?” He smiled.

You slowly mulled through his proposal looking for any deceit or way he could turn things around, but you had a feeling he wouldn’t. Your sister would return to the living while you stayed in the underworld. You couldn’t imagine anything growing in the gloomy underworld except perhaps mushrooms. It was not an easy task.

Yet, what else could you do?

“I accept your offer, my lord.” You nodded.

The god stood from his obsidian throne and walked down the three steps. He was larger than you imagined and hovered over you. He held his hand out. “We have a deal.”

You took his hand and felt a jolt go up your arm. His skin was cooler compared to your own. Something whispered in the back of your mind, but you couldn’t grasp it. “Of course, my lord.”

Those gold eyes seemed to burn brightly as he stared down at you with a grin. “You can call me Diavolo.”

\---------

“And this is the garden.” The shadowy wraith held out its scrawny arms. Your breath caught in your throat. The garden was filled with different plants, trees and vegetation. It was brightly lit with an artificial sun in the sky.

The only problem was that everything was dead, rotten or overgrown. You grimaced as you glanced around. Not seeing much order you slowly realized things were just left to grow on its own. This was going to be harder than you thought. But at least there was sun and a river nearby that would help with the process.

The wraith has stood back silently as you took everything in. “If you need any tools, seeds or anything else, you can just ask one of us.”

“I…thank you. I might need some tools to clear everything out.” Your mind was already trying to create a strategy on what to clear out first.

“I’ll go get them. If you need a break you can always return to your room. If you can’t find it, just find one of us and we will take you.” The wraith gave a bow before vanishing into thin air. All that was left was a pile of gardening tools and sturdy gloves.

You sighed as you rolled your sleeves up. “Time to get to work…”

As you attacked the overgrown plants, your mind wandered back to your sister. You had only seen her for a brief moment before she was whisked away to the living. Your brother was waiting at the entrance to the underworld. Hopefully he would take her home without worrying about you. He knew there was a likely chance that you wouldn’t return if your sister did.

As you pulled and tossed weeds your thoughts shifted to the god. Diavolo as he wanted you to call him. He was not what you expected when thinking of the god of the underworld and god of gods. He was friendly and warm despite what you were led to believe from the myths. He had even given you a grand tour of his castle where you would be staying. He wanted to give you a tour of the garden but something else called him away.

Compared to what you had been told about the god of the underworld, Diavolo was a completely different being. The stories that you had heard painted him as a serious, somber and scary god, who commanded the others with his power. Molten gold eyes and bright red hair was far from the god of myths.

By the time you decided to take a break, your backside ached from bending over and your hands felt raw from weeding. Dirt was smeared across your face and clothes while your hair stuck to your skin from sweat. Not knowing the time of day as the fake sun seemed to stay in the same spot, you made your way back to the looming castle.

You carried your boots in hand as you didn’t want to track dirt into the castle. You got lost with the many hallways and corners. Despite looking for a wraith, you never spotted one nearby. You actually didn’t see anyone since you had wandered into the castle.

With a loud sigh, you managed to come back to the main staircase. “This place is a maze,” you mumbled under your breath.

“Is everything alright?” a voice asked from right behind you. 

You jumped back and nearly fell on the floor. Your boots went tumbling to the ground, spilling dirt all over. “AHH!” 

Diavolo stared at you curiously. “Are you okay?”

Placing a hand over your still galloping heart, you let out a few deep breaths. “You scared me. I didn’t even hear you…”

“My apologies. I’m not used to other people in the castle.” His gaze traveled the length of your body, taking in the mess you were. “How’s the garden?”

You consciously try to wipe some dirt off your cheek with your sleeve, but it smudged it more. “Uh…it’s fine. A bit overgrown and…dead. But it can be saved.” Though you weren’t sure if six months would be enough time.

He smiled. “I was worried it might not be salvageable. I do love the plants you humans have, but they’re so difficult to maintain down here.”

“I can see why,” you snorted to yourself. “The place is a disaster and a half. What idiot did he have to take care of it?”

“Well I really didn’t have anyone in charge. I tried to but work gets in the way,” he replied with a chuckle.

Your face warmed as you realized you had said all that aloud. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

He waved you off. “It’s fine. I actually prefer if others would speak to me so frankly. Everyone is so polite around me for some reason…”

You sputtered, “You’re the god of the underworld and ruler of the gods. Of course people are going to be polite to you.”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right. But still I wish my title didn’t scare others. I want to get to know my fellow gods and humans. I like your frankness.” He seemed genuine in his statement, which caused you to sputter some more.

Clapping his hands together, he gestured to you. “Are you having trouble finding your room? I can show you.”

“...” You didn’t know what to say and only nodded. Picking up your boots, you followed the god through the castle.

“I know it’s large, but you’ll get used to it. If you ever need help navigating around here, just let me know.” He talked as you walked. “Oh, I have dinner being prepared. I hope you can join me.”

That drew your attention. “Dinner? I mean, I would like to, but if I eat the food, won’t I be forced to stay here forever?”

His laughter rang through the hallways. “Of course not! Where did you get that idea?”

“Um, well it’s what I’ve been told since I was little…” You felt a bit foolish though you had a feeling he wasn’t laughing at you.

He came to stop at a familiar door you had been shown by the wraith. “You humans have interesting ideas about gods.” He peered down at you. “I’d like to hear more about the human realm during dinner if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” What else could you say. “I’ll, uh, see you at dinner.”

The bright smile he gave you felt blinding. “Wonderful!”

Once you closed the door, you let out a deep sigh. “What a strange god…”

\---------

**1st month**

You worked tirelessly to clean the garden up. Getting rid of the dead plants and overgrowth was a long and painful process. On your own, you toiled away in the garden with only your thoughts. When you heard the ravens screech, you would jump out of bed and start the day. The lack of change in day was disorientating at first, but soon you figured out how time was told in the underworld.

You rarely saw Diavolo except for dinner, which he insisted you attend every night. Sitting at a long banquet table filled with more food than you had ever seen became a ritual. He sat at one long end, and you at the other. He always had questions about humans or what human life was like. You tried to answer the best you could.

He was an animated talker as he moved his arms and hands. His facial expressions were open for you to see. It was strange to see such a powerful being with such open and honest expressions. Yet you fell into easy conversation with him despite knowing who he was. If he weren’t a god, he could have been a friend.

Still the god didn’t bother you much when you worked. He seemed busy most days with ruling the underworld and its inhabitants. The wraiths would sometimes stop by to ask if you needed anything. You had yet to see any of the other dead denizens, though maybe that was for the best.

**2nd month**

You had just finished clearing a good chunk of the garden, when Diavolo appeared. “This looks great so far!”

Jumping a bit at his sudden appearance, you sighed and leaned further over your shovel. “It’s almost cleared. I’ll be starting the planting over here.”

He was surveying everything with rapt interest. “I wish I could get away from my work to help.”

An eyebrow went up. “You want to help me?”

He was studying one of the rotten trees with a small frown. “Of course. I want to know what it’s like to feel the earth under my hands. I want to plant seeds and see them grow. That is the whole reason I started a garden. Someone taught me the beauty of plants, and I wanted to bring that beauty here... ”

“But what about our deal? You would be sabotaging yourself.” You didn’t mean to blurt it out, but you were curious as he seemed not to care.

Diavolo shrugged as he met your gaze. “There’s nothing that says I can’t help out. It would be nice to spend more time with you than just dinner.”

“You want to spend time with me?” You stared at him in shock. “Why? I-I’m just a human.”

He smiled. “Though I might not be around, I’ve heard you’ve been working hard.”

“I do have a deadline to make,” you pointed out. He was studying you with such intensity it made you squirm and look away. “But…I would like to see this place finished. It would be a lovely garden.” It could almost be a garden out of your dreams if done right. “Do you want the garden setup in a specific way?”

He shook his head. “The garden is for you…to do what you want.”

Your imagination started to run wild. You had often dreamed about your own garden that you could make into what you wanted. Certain flowers and trees as well as vegetables and fruits would grow in neat plots. It would be a place of peace and beauty with the aroma of flowers filling the senses.

You turned back to him, eyes glittering. “I have many ideas. I hope you’ll like them.”

He reached forward and ruffled your hair. “I know I’ll love them.” Warmth crept up your face at his sudden touch. He dropped his hand. “I should return to work.”

You watched as he started walking away, but called to him. “You should come visit more. If you want.”

He glanced back at you. “I will.” Golden eyes glimmered with a familiar warmth. He was gone before you could say more.

**3rd month**

As promised, Diavolo visited the garden more often. He would only stay for a bit before returning back to work. He spent the time asking about plants and how to care for the garden. You told him all you had learned from books and experience. His presence was nice to have and helped make work go by just a little faster.

You stopped by his office when he didn’t show up for dinner like usual. One of the wraiths directed you accordingly. Knocking twice you waited. A muffled ‘come in’ was heard through the door. Opening the door, you peered around. The office was large with a line of bookshelves behind his desk. There were stacks of papers all over the place; somewhere stacked high and seemed near falling over. The roaring fireplace made the room cozy and threw shadows along the walls.

Diavolo didn’t look up from the papers he was intently studying. “You missed dinner,” you said, a slight tinge of worry colored your tone.

His head snapped up at your voice. “Really?” He glanced out the window to his right. The gloom of the underworld was still the same to you. “I must have lost track of time…” Sighing, he rubbed his temples. “There’s been an influx of souls recently, so I have to take care of the paperwork for each one before deciding their fates.”

You glanced at the stack on his desk. There were even more stacks all around the sides of the desk as well. “Do you know why?”

“Most likely war has broken out in a few countries. A lot of the souls are soldiers or severely wounded civilians, so that’s my guess.” His usual cheery smile was nowhere to be seen. “You humans do like your wars…”

Not knowing what to say, you remained silent. You noticed a single magenta zinnia in a vase on his desk. The flower was still alive and brightly colored. Two years ago you had given a zinnia away to someone. He had been visiting your hometown and you had struck up quite a fast friendship.

Eyes glazed over, you didn’t hear Diavolo calling your name. Finally you snapped out of your memories when he gently touched your shoulder. He stood in front of you with worry etched on his face. “Are you okay?”

Blinking rapidly, you stared at him. The man from two years ago looked like him except his hair was more copper than red, and his eyes were hazel instead of amber. Still the similarities overlapped too much for you to pass it off.

“Did you come to the human world two years ago?” you asked, voice faint as you tried to recall the man’s voice. Yet the memories you had were fading quickly.

His brows drew together as he glanced at the zinnia on his desk. He let out a deep sigh. “Yes.”

You tilted your head back. “It was you.” Wonder colored your tone. “Two years ago a man came to my hometown. He and I…we became friends so quickly. And I remember giving him a magenta zinnia before he left.”

Diavolo nodded. “That was me. I wanted to visit the living world, so I snuck out for a bit. The zinnia you gave me was the first true gift I ever received.”

“So the garden…”

“It was because of you. You talked about plants with such passion, that I wanted to try myself,” he admitted. A laugh escaped his lips. “Although I’m not the best at it as you can tell”

Moving away, you took a seat in the chair in front of the fireplace. He sat across from you, paperwork forgotten. “When I first appeared, did you know it was me?”

“I did. I never forget a face.” He leaned back. “However I didn’t say anything because your memories were supposed to be taken away. You should have only had a vague idea of that time.”

You weren’t mad at him for taking your memories. Gods had their reasons, and you understood that things would be more difficult if all humans remembered encounters with them. That was why stories of the gods were created. It was a way to fill in the gaps that humans didn’t know. For the longest time, you didn’t believe in the gods as actually beings. They were thoughts, figments and stories that humans created. Of course with the death of your sibling, you wanted to believe then. So going to where the door to the underworld was supposedly located was just pure hope.

“It was the zinnia. I never was able to grow another. The seeds I had were from another country, but the seller never returned.” The purple blossom stood proudly in the delicate vase. “How is it still alive?”

“I asked Barbatos to pause time,” he said simply as if that actually explained anything for you. Seeing the confusion clearly on your face, he explained further. “All living things have time. Once that time has been used, they die. Barbatos is the god of time, so he is able to stop a living being’s time. So the flower will never wilt as it’s frozen in the time you first gave it to me.”

You still had a hard time wrapping your head around it. Still it sounded like something a god could do if they wished. However another question came to mind. “That deal we made… It isn’t something you usually do, is it?”

He sighed once more as he met your gaze. “No. Usually I try not to make deals for souls. However there are expectations to this rule. You happen to fit that exception.”

“Or you know, it’s because you're the ruler of the gods that you can make exceptions,” you teased.

Relaxing a bit, Diavolo flashed a smile. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Rolling your eyes, you stood up. “Sure. Well I’m going to bed. I’ve had a lot of…excitement for one day.” Walking to the door, you turned to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow in the garden? You can help me out if you want.” 

“Oh? You want my help now?” His eyes widened in mock surprise.

You shook your head. “You need to learn to take care of the garden yourself. I guess just telling you about plants doesn’t actually make you a good caretaker.”

“I look forward to it.” He was grinning once more. 

Leaving his office, your heart felt light. The underworld seemed just a little brighter.

**4th month**

“You have to be careful with that!” You watched in horror as Diavolo nearly up-heaved the freshly watered plot. 

He stepped back. “Sorry!” Inspecting the ground, he patted the dirt as if consoling a child. “Please grow…”

The sad but earnest look on his face made you chuckle. “It’ll be fine. You’ve done a good job caring for them.”

“When do you think they’ll grow?” Leaving the shovel, he took a seat next to you on the grass. He leaned back on his hands; the tips of his fingers brushing against your own.

You jolted to an upright posture, moving your hands to your lap. “Uh, probably in a few months. They need to be watered and tended every day until then.” Your fingertips tingled and your face was warm.

“You won’t be here to see them…” he mumbled aloud.

Silence filled the garden as you stared out at the carefully cleaned and plotted landscape. Diavolo would often take off time to work with you in the garden. Then you two would sit down and rest, filling the time with talk. You started to understand him as the god he was, not as the stranger he pretended to be when he came to your hometown.

Of course you realized part of him did act true to himself back then. But a large part of him had to hide because of who he really was. Here in the underworld, you saw him for everything he was. He cared about the other gods, and about the relationship they had with humans. He would often talk about wanting to join the gods and people together as allies. He didn’t want humans to worship the gods anymore. Nor did he want gods to believe they were better than humanity. It was work in process, and would most likely continue on for generations to come.

The silence stretched on for longer than usual as you were lost in thought. The deal you had made with him was mostly complete. Once six months were up, you would be returning to your family. You would never see Diavolo again until your death.

Glancing at him from the corner of your eye, warmth blossomed in your chest. He was someone you had grown quite fond of these few months. Perhaps it was due to finding out the truth about him. You had made a fast friendship with him back then as well. But this feeling had grown and evolved into something else. Something you didn’t dare put a name to.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, catching your gaze.

You quickly looked away. “Y-you have some dirt on your face.” He did, but it felt like a horrible excuse.

He swiped at his face but only managed to smear it more. “Is it gone?”

You felt a laugh except your lips before you even realized it. Looking at his face covered with dirt was endearing. His amber eyes glittered with amusement as he watched you. “You just made it worse!”

Pulling your clean cloth from your pocket, you reached up to wipe his face. “I never got the story of how you made it past Cerberus,” he said, staying perfectly still.

You gently wiped the dirt from his face. “He might be the guardian to the underworld, but he is a dog. I just have him three giant calf bones.” Having cleaned him off, you dropped your hands away but his eyes held you in place.

Diavolo was grinning widely. “I never thought such a mighty beast would be swayed by bones.” He shook his head as he laughed. His laughs were always full bodied ones. They started deep in his stomach and shook his large frame. His laughter was always filled with a warmth that made you want to join in.

Managing to look away, you stood up and brushed the dirt from your clothes. “I think that’s enough garden work for today. We should go home; dinner will be ready soon.” His laughter faded away. Standing, he regarded you with a questioning look in his eyes. “What?”

You always felt more aware when he would fall silent and study you. You preferred when he was talking or laughing. “Nothing.” A radiant smile formed on his face. “Let’s go home.”

**5th month**

“A dear friend is coming to visit today,” Diavolo announced at breakfast.

You paused in shoveling food in your mouth. “Another god?”

He nodded. “Lucifer will hopefully stay for dinner. It’s been a long time.” The excitement in his voice was evident.

However you were more focused on who was actually coming. “You mean Lucifer the eldest god of the seven brothers?”

“Is there another Lucifer I don’t know about?” He chuckled as you closed your mouth shut with a click. “Don’t worry too much. He’s not as scary as the stories make him out to be.”

“Says the god of gods,” you muttered as you stuff more food in your mouth. 

As Diavolo left to get things prepared for the special guest, you returned to the garden. Watering the plants and checking on them, your thoughts wandered to the new god you would meet. Stories of Lucifer were many as he was one of the most popular gods. While Diavolo was the ruler of gods, Lucifer was the leader of the seven brothers, old gods who rebelled against their own for the new gods.

You didn’t know what to expect from him. After all Diavolo was different from how the myths portrayed him. However most stories described him as a serious, no nonsense god. He was the eldest of the brothers, so his position was to ensure they caused no problems. You remembered the statue at his temple that you visited once. The statue was of an older man with a thick beard and cold gray eyes. Just staring at the statue made you feel small.

“This is the garden. Doesn’t it look better than last time?” Diavolo’s voice brought you out of your thoughts. Turning to the entrance, you saw him walk in with another person, who must be Lucifer. The god smiled when he saw you and steered Lucifer in your direction. “And this is my wonderful caretaker!”

You try not to stare at the man too much. “Hello. Nice to meet you.” You gave him a bow before meeting his gaze. Vermilion colored eyes scrutinize every inch of your being. You wanted to shrink back into yourself under his stare.

He smiled in a way that does nothing to reassure you. “So you’re the one responsible for making this place look like this. You certainly have a gift.”

“T-thank you.” You looked away; it felt like he saw deep into your soul. Like all your secrets were laid bare for him to study. Diavolo was still smiling, encouragingly almost. “...” You didn’t know what else to say.

Lucifer finally turned his attention to the other man. “Perhaps we should head back to the castle. I’m looking forward to dinner.”

“Are you coming?” Diavolo asked you.

“In a bit. I’ll meet you there.” You waved him off, watching as the two left. Heaving a sigh of relief, you dropped back down on the ground. Lucifer did not look like the statue you had seen, but you still felt intimidated by his presence just the same.

\---------

You sat at Diavolo’s left side, having moved closer to him during meals. Lucifer sat across from you on his right side. Dinner was filled with Diavolo’s chatter and Lucifer’s solemn voice. You remained mostly silent as you ate; the two seemed to be catching up and you didn’t want to disturb them.

Diavolo treated Lucifer with friendly familiarity. Lucifer, however, kept a polite edge to his tone. Perhaps he was afraid of offending the ruler of gods. You recalled Diavolo saying he wished others would treat him informally. Other gods held him at arm's length because of his status. It seemed Lucifer was one of them.

“...and I’ve been learning to take care of the plants.” Diavolo finished, having told Lucifer of the garden.

He took a sip from his glass before speaking. “That’s an interesting hobby to take up, but you seem happy. I’m glad.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without such a wonderful expert.” He gestured to you with a flourish.

His eyes flickered over to you. “I do have a question. How did you end up here? You’re obviously not one of the dead.”

Taking a long swig of your drink before answering. “I came down to bring my sister back. In return Diavolo made a deal that if I could fix the garden in six months, I could return to the world of the living.”

Immediately his scarlet eyes moved to Diavolo. A frown marred his face. “You made a deal with a human for a soul?” he asked, not pleased.

Diavolo shrugged. “This was a special case.”

“You cannot go around making deals with humans for souls of the dead. What will they think? They will try to take advantage of your kindness,” he argued, eyes narrowing.

“It’s fine. Like I said, a special case. I rarely go around making deals in exchange for souls.” He sighed. “And don’t think so badly of humans. They can be full of kindness and wonder.” Amber eyes met your own.

Lucifer seemed to want to argue further but stopped himself. Sitting back, he was eying you warily. “What will you do when you return home?”

“I…” You weren’t sure to be honest. Returning to your family would just mean going back to the same old routine. “I’m not sure yet.”

Suddenly a wraith appeared next to Diavolo and whispered in his ear. Brow drawing together, he nodded before the wraith vanished. “I’m sorry to leave suddenly, but it seems we have a sudden influx of souls.” He stood up. “Finish dinner, please.”

The door closed with a loud thump and you were left with Lucifer. He was still watching you. “So…” you started, but he held up his hand.

“Before you speak, I wish to give you some advice.” He paused.

“Okay…?”

He sat straight with his back ramrod in the chair. It looked uncomfortable but gave him a regal, dominant air. “Diavolo has shown you great kindness and leniency because that is who he is. But don’t forget he is not just a god, but the god of gods. You are human and alive, so you belong with the living.”

Your lips turned down into a scowl. “And what happens when I die?”

“You’ll become another soul here waiting to be reborn. He has more important matters to deal with than another soul.” His eyes challenged you to argue back.

Pressing your lips together, you pushed your dish away. “I think I’ll go to bed early,” you excused yourself. Leaving without another word, you sat on your bed stewing over Lucifer’s words.

In his own polite way, he was telling you not to get too close to Diavolo. He saw you as beneath him being only human. Perhaps he was right in some parts. You weren’t a divine being, so you couldn’t stand by Diavolo’s side. Even in death, you would just be another soul as Lucifer stated. 

You felt a sharp tug from your chest.

**6th month**

Your last month in the underworld came to a quick close. You had spent most days in the garden caring for the plants. Buds were starting to grow for some of them. You threw yourself in your work even though there wasn’t much to do. If Diavolo noticed your change in attitude, he didn’t mention it.

He was preoccupied with taking care of the newly arrived souls. This time it seemed to be shipwrecked individuals. So many young men and women were among the souls. Most nights he missed dinner to work. Though he joked he didn’t work nearly as much as Lucifer on one of the rare occasions he had dinner with you.

Glancing around the garden, you gave it a silent goodbye. Ready to leave, you went back to the castle where Diavolo was waiting. “Everything should be all set. Some plants are starting to bud,” you told him with a smile that wasn’t quite there.

Diavolo sighed. “I guess it’s time for you to go… I hope I can keep the garden in such good condition. I’ll miss you.”

“You’ll be fine. I know it.” You stood a few feet away from him not knowing how to say goodbye. As much as you wanted to hug him, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. “I’ll see you…later.”

“You could…” He paused before shaking his head. “Take care of yourself.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched as you followed the wraith who was to guide you back to the living. You felt his eyes on you the entire time. 

The wraith left you at the entrance to the underworld, unable to go further. As you finally reached the surface, a cool wind hit your face. Summer was coming to an end, and fall was starting to set.

The trek home was quiet as you traveled alone. By the time you got to your hometown, a heavy feeling had settled in your stomach. And by the time you stood in front of your house, the feeling had become a stone.

“You’re back!” Your brother was the first to see you. Pulling yourself together, you prepared a smile for your family as he announced your arrival.

\---------

The leaves changed from bright green to orange, yellow, and red. Life returned to normal where you helped out in your parent’s shop and tended to your indoor plants.

You found out that no-one except your family remembered your little sister being dead. It seemed the gods had decided it was best to keep that a secret from the general public. Your parents were just grateful that she was back. They seemed happy to have you back as well.

Winter came quickly and everything froze. You disliked winter but somehow felt that it was appropriate as your mood was low. Trying to act normal, you forced yourself to return to usual. 

As winter ice started the slow process of melting, your mother called you for a talk. “Come see me after the shop closes.”

So you closed up shop and returned home. However upon entering the dining room, your entire family sat at the table waiting. You paused as all eyes were on you. “What is this?” You cautiously looked around. Even your little sister had a solemn expression on her face. 

Your father spoke first. “We’re worried about you.”

“We’ve all noticed a change since you returned from your trip,” your mother continued. 

You had all agreed to refer to your time in the underworld as a “trip” in case anyone asked where you had been the past six months.

You meet your brother’s gaze. “You haven’t been happy. Please tell us what happened there.”

“We just want to help!” Your sister added, eyes wide with concern.

With a deep sigh, you took your seat at the table. As you told them of your time in the underworld, you found yourself remembering it fondly. A smile quirked on your lips the entire time. Once finished, everyone was silent as they took in everything.

Finally your mother broke the silence. “You miss him,” she stated.

For once you decided to tell the truth about your feelings for Diavolo. “Yes. I miss him a lot.”

“You’re in loooove!” your sister exclaimed. Everyone laughed as she grinned widely. “That’s sooo romantic!”

Clearing his throat, your brother asked, “Why don’t you go back then? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind based on how he treated you.”

“I can’t just leave you guys. And he’s a god. It would never work…” Lucifer’s words weighed like a boulder in your mind.

“How do you know that?” Your father frowned. “You haven’t even tried.”

“I think you should give him a chance regardless of his status. He cares, I can tell. And you’re happier with him.” Mother nodded thoughtfully. “As for us, we don’t mind seeing you half the year if this makes you happy. You have our blessing to go.”

A lump formed in your throat as your family encouraged you. They loved you in their own way. “I…thank you.” 

\---------

Spring was just around the corner when you left your family once more. The air still had a chill to it, but you could see small buds starting to form. The trip to the gate of the underworld felt familiar. The hop in your step carried you to the gate and to Cerberus. The three headed dog eyed you eagerly as you produced three calf bones. His large tail wagged back and forth with a force that stirred a wind.

“Here you are, boy.” You gave each head a pat before leaving him to enjoy his treats.

Walking down the winding stone staircase, you entered deeper into the realm of the dead. Coming to the last few steps, you stopped short seeing a figure pacing near the ferryman’s boat. From your position, Diavolo seemed to be in deep thought.

Heart beating loudly in your chest, you rushed down the last steps. “Diavolo!”

He spun around in your direction, amber eyes wide with disbelief, surprise, and elation. The smile that stretched across his face was the brightest one you had ever seen. His arms opened wide as you barreled into him. Diavolo pulled you into a tight embrace as you hugged him back like you wanted to do when you had left.

The way he whispered your name sent your heart thumping double time. “I missed you,” you mumbled into his shoulder.

Perhaps your relationship wouldn’t work out in the end, but you wouldn’t know until you tried. You were willing to give your heart to him, and could only hope he would care for it. Like plants, your relationship would grow with care and patience.


	5. Changes in the Wind (Lucifer/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time writing for Lucifer. Hopefully I wrote him decently.
> 
> Edit 12/3/2020: changed the ending a bit.

The ropes holding your wrist together were starting to burn as the trip up the mountain continued. There wasn’t much you could do though, so you tried to ignore the pain. With a guard behind you and one of the village elders in front leading the way, there was no escape. Not that you were planning on it. The narrow trail up the mountain was dangerous at best and deadly at worst. One wrong step and you would be skewed like a shish kabob on the jagged rocks below.

The air seemed to get thinner as you climbed causing your throat to hurt with every inhale and exhale. Even the guard was having trouble breathing, though the village elder was unaffected, having been used to making the trip every five years. Sand and dust coated your body in a thin film making every step feel grimy.

“You are quiet, child,” the elder commented. His voice carried far without even raising it.

You licked your dry and cracked lips. “Not much to say.” You tried to swallow whatever saliva you had to clear your aching throat.

“Are you not afraid?” He had most likely seen his fair share of sacred sacrifices. 

You remembered a few of them growing up. A young woman from last time tried to run away, but she was caught and dragged up the mountain, all the while kicking and screaming. The one before her, an old man, broke down in sobs as his grandchildren huddled around him. There were more, but they were before you were born, who made a scene when chosen.

Yet when your name was called, you quietly followed without a word. There was no one to see you off. Your father had died two year prior while your mother had been one of the sacrifices when you were only six. No one was there to mourn you or give you words of comfort.

“No,” you finally answered after a long silence. 

The rest of the walk up was silent. You wondered about the god your village prayed to. It was said long ago your village was founded by a man who had been saved by Lucifer, god of the skies, himself. In return for his kindness, the man promised a human sacrifice to the god every five years. In return the village was blessed with good weather and clear skies when needed.

The day before the sacrifice was chosen, everyone’s name was taken down and placed in a bowl. It didn’t matter if the person was old or just newly born; everyone had a chance to be picked. The entire village would gather to hear who would be the next one. No one knew what happened to the sacrifice once they were left at the mountain top. Not even the village elder had any ideas as they didn’t stay. But everyone knew that the sacrifice was gone by the next day, and they never came back. This was the way of your village for thousands of years.

It was considered an honor to be chosen. It was an honor to be sacrificed for the greater good of the village. Or at least that’s what those who weren’t chosen commented. However most who were picked were afraid. Those who had said it was honor before trembled in fear. Afraid to leave their family. Afraid of the unknown.

You weren’t afraid. No. You wanted to be chosen. If you were chosen, perhaps you could find out what really happened to your mother. She never returned, but your father always said she was alive somewhere. He had believed that Lucifer sent the sacrifices elsewhere to live a new life. Even on his deathbed he held to that belief.

“We will leave you now, my child.” The elder handed you a small sack of bread, cheese and dried fruit along with a water pouch. “May Lucifer bless you for your sacrifice.”

The guard and the elder left as they came, and you remained at the top of the mountain. Even if you tried to run back down, guards would be stationed at the bottom of the mountain to bring you back. Hands now unbound, you rubbed your wrists as angry red welts formed. Sitting on the ground and leaning against a large rock that sat at the top, you stared up at the afternoon sky.

So you waited there. Occasionally nibbling on the cheese and bread, and taking sips from the water skin. You weren’t sure what to expect from said god. Perhaps he would descend from the heavens on a cloud. Or appear before you shrouded in darkness. There were many tales on how gods appeared before mortals. All were grand and unbelievable; some were said to come in the form of animals.

As night fell, the chill set in. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you tried to keep warm. The chattering of your teeth was all you could hear. “Maybe I’ll die of hypothermia first,” you mumbled aloud. Somewhere along the way you drifted off into a fitful sleep.

You woke, startled by the birds chirping. Stretching your stiff limbs, you looked around. Nothing had changed except the black sky was slowly turning gray. It was early, too early for anyone to be up. You wondered if you would be the first sacrifice to still be there when the guards came to check.

“So they sent another.” You jumped up and spun around. A man stood on the rock you had been leaning against.

Scarlet eyes and obsidian hair gleamed in the morning light. For a moment you were reminded of the field of poppies you had visited once when you were young. Your mother had gathered them for medical and cooking purposes. The seeds could help with pain, and if extracted properly, a strong sleep drug could be made. Poppy oil was used in cooking often in the village as well.

“Are you…Lucifer?” you asked, already knowing the answer.

He studied you for a moment with his cold gaze before nodding. “Come.” Holding out a black gloved hand, he waited.

Staring at the offered hand, you wondered if he had given his hand to your mother as well. Taking a deep breath, you grasped his hand, and the world seemed to melt away in a gust of cold wind. You squeezed your eyes shut as the wind howled in your ears before it stopped immediately.

Opening your eyes, you were still standing on a mountain top, except it was a different mountain. Instead of dirt, sand and rocks, the mountain was green and lush. Wild flowers dotted the area as far as you could see.

Lucifer released your hand and stepped back. “Where are we?” you asked, wonder in your voice.

“Somewhere far enough away from your village.” He magically produced a small pouch that jingled. “Take these and start a new life.”

The weight of the coins were heavy in your hand. Your brows drew together in confusion. “What?”

“You're free to live here. I have provided enough coins to get you a room and food for a year. You can start a new life here.” Seeming satisfied, he turned to leave.

“Wait!” He paused and turned to you. “My mother…she was a sacrifice years ago. Did you send her here too?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied you. “Hmm…yes I can see the resemblance. She was sent here as well. Though I do not know if she stayed or left.”

“She’s alive…” Your father was right then. A sense of relief washed over you. Perhaps you could find her. “Why do you do this?” you asked, your attention back on the god.

“Would you rather I eat you?” An elegant eyebrow went up.

You backed up slightly. “You actually eat people?”

A small chuckle left his lips. “Don’t be foolish. We gods do not eat humans. I have no use for “sacrifices” so they are left to do what they want.”

“Then why do you allow sacrifices to continue?” You grew a bit bolder. You wanted answers if possible. “Why not tell the village to stop making sacrifices if you don’t want them?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded you with a strange look. “I do not like to interfere with humans. If your village wants to sacrifice people to me, I’ll let them. The humans who end up as sacrifices are free to live a new life as I don’t have any use for humans.”

The weight of the coins suddenly felt like too much. “Do you know how many families are torn apart? How many parents lose children? How can you not do something?!” You were reminded of the story of one family who had lost their two year old son. You recalled hearing the parents weep every time a new sacrifice was chosen.

A deep scowl marred his face. “What do you expect me to do? Go to your village and rip apart their beliefs? Many humans have beliefs and hold on to them dearly. When that belief is stripped away, what is left? I have seen humans broken by the truth and left with only anguish. I will not be responsible for that.”

“I…it’s still wrong!” You chewed on your lower lip.

Deep down you knew that many people in your village believed in the sacrifices. It was something they grew up with and passed down to their families. Even those who lost family members, still believed that it was for the greater good of the village. Your father rarely talked about it, so you didn’t grow up believing in it as much. And after his death, you were determined to find the truth.

The god shook his head. “If you are done, I have business to attend to.” Before you could say more, he vanished in another gust of wind.

Standing on the mountain in an unknown country, you wondered if it would have been better if he had eaten you.

\---------

Closing up the shop for the night, you headed to the large temple near the city center. Dedicated to Lucifer, ironic considering he brought you to the country, there never seemed to be a shortage of visitors. It was tended to 24/7 by caretakers and the offering plate was never empty. He was one of the more popular gods, so it wasn’t rare to see people dedicate temples and statues in his honor.

Still the statue of him in the temple was not what he looked like when you met him. Of course creative liberties were often taken when depicting any god. Though you were curious if any statues of the gods actually looked like them at all. As amusing as the statue was, you often went to visit just to speak with it. The caretakers would often look at you strangely but leave you alone.

You were lonely in this new country. The language was completely different from your own. When you had tried to rent an apartment, you had to play charades with the owner until they finally understood. Most of your interactions with the locals tended to be games of pointing and nodding. 

“I can’t even ask people for directions,” you sighed. “The only good thing is my boss actually speaks the same language.”

By some miracle you had found a job stocking and sorting bobbles at an antique store. The owner spoke a few languages and had taken pity by giving you a job. You were trying to learn the language, but had only learned a few phrases and words.

“You couldn’t have given me the ability to speak and understand this country's language?” you asked the statue.

“Unfortunately I don’t have that ability.”

Turning around, your eyes widened seeing Lucifer standing there. “Y-you!”

There was a slight smirk on his face. “You do realize that I’m not actually at this temple. Speaking to my statue won’t do anything.”

Finding your voice, you glanced around but the caretakers weren’t paying you any mind. “So you say, but you’re here now.” You pointed out. 

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I have some business here.”

“Sure…” Rocking on your heels, you peered up at him curiously. “Would it have been too much to put me in a country where I can speak the language?”

“Learning a new language should be beneficial for you. And being too close to your village could cause you problems if you happen to meet someone who knows you,” he explained.

You threw your hands up. “Not to sound ungrateful, but you could have explained this to me before you left me on the mountain.”

He was assessing you with his calculating gaze. “Yet you’ve been complaining non-stop. I can’t decide if you're worse than my brothers.”

You remembered the stories of Lucifer’s younger brothers. They were all old gods except Satan, who was born during the war between old and new gods. “So they exist too…”

“Of course they do. Did you think the stories of the gods were just stories?”

Wrinkling your nose, you said, “More or less. My father wasn’t too big on implying the gods were real. At least not anymore. They seemed to be more of an idea or tale parents told their children as a warning.”

He peered down at you with curiosity. “One who does not believe in gods...how interesting.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in gods. I just don’t think they should be revered as much as they are. Sure they have abilities beyond humans, but I think they aren’t needed as much.” You shrugged. This was the first time you had ever told anyone how you really felt about gods. The irony of telling all this for the first time to a god was not lost on you. 

There was a spark of interest in those crimson eyes. “So what should gods do if you don’t find them necessary?”

“They could just live their lives like humans. Or if they can, right wrongs that humans commit under their names. My village sacrifices a person to you, yet you have no use for them. So why not tell them to stop? I know you said you don’t interfere with humans, but can’t you make an exception?” You didn’t understand his stance on not interfering with humans. If it were up to you, the sacrifices would have ended long ago.

He turned away and started leaving the temple. Staring at his back, you couldn’t believe he was leaving without answering you. He paused and turned to you. “Come, let’s leave.”

Nodding slowly, you followed him out of the temple and down the road. “If I were to come to you village and tell them I am Lucifer, what would happen?”

Your brows drew together. “They would want proof of course. But I think they would believe you once it was done.”

“Do you not think their beliefs would become even stronger? Proof that I exist and am watching over them would just solidify their beliefs. Even if I told them to stop the sacrifices, they may do something even more extreme,” he said, his face serious the entire time.

Biting your lower lip, you contemplated his words. “I…I hadn’t thought about that. But,” you frowned “there has to be a way to stop the sacrifices. Separating families is wrong. You have brothers, so wouldn’t you be sad if they were separated from you to never be heard from again?”

Glancing up at him, he seemed to be staring off. The silent walk from the temple to your apartment was unnerving. Having a god in such deep thought was a sign of change. At least that’s what you heard. Then again you often saw humans in deep thought, so didn’t that mean a sign of change as well? It seemed the rules for gods could be applied to humans, yet some were to awestruck to see that. Gods, in your mind, were much like humans just with special gifts. They made mistakes and felt emotions just like humans. Yet somehow they were elevated to a higher status.

At the door of your apartment building, you sighed. “I’m sorry if I sounded rude. I just think there’s a better way you could handle the situation in my village beyond taking the sacrifices to new places. I can’t imagine how the children who were chosen felt…”

Lucifer regarded you. “I will have to think about this some more. For now do what you can to have a good life here.”

He left without another word, and you just shook your head. Dealing with this god was starting to look like more trouble than it was worth.

\---------

Half a year had passed since you arrived at this new place. Your grasp of the language was much better in that you could have short conversations. You had moved out of the small apartment and into a larger one. Still working at the antique store, you no longer sorted stock and spent time helping out customers. You missed home, but this place wasn’t so bad. You knew the local vendors at the market and your neighbor was friendly enough. 

Yet, despite all your work, you still had no leads on your mother. No one knew her and any records there were of people moving to the country did not include her. It was difficult to even get anywhere because you had nowhere to start. You just wanted to find her. Your memory of her was foggy at best, and you were afraid you would completely forget.

“These are fresh. Just imported.” You eyed the fish laid out. The smell of fish and other sea creatures always made your nose curl. Yet, the fish here was fresh and always delicious when cooked.

“What about the crab?” You pointed to the large crab next to it.

The seller nodded eagerly. “Those arrived today as well. Largest ones we’ve gotten so far!”

The thought of stuffed crab made your stomach rumble. “I’ll take two.”

After gathering a few more things, you left the market. You paused as you suddenly felt goosebumps form on your neck. Looking around you finally saw the one who had caused the reaction. Lucifer was sitting at a nearby cafe with a drink in hand. He met your gaze from over the rim of his tea cup.

Walking over to him, you smiled tentatively. “Hello, it’s been awhile since we last saw each other.”

He set the tea cup down. “I have a lot of work I need to take care of. These few moments are the only ones I get to relax.”

“Oh.” You eyed the small treats on the table. None you could afford. “Sorry to bother you on your day off.”

He waved you off. “I would enjoy the company.” He gestured to the empty chair across from him.

“Well…” The crab was wrapped up with some ice. It could last a few minutes longer. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to rest.” Sitting down, you let out a sigh. Your feet ached more than you realized. “I shouldn’t let the crab sit for too long.”

“You seem at ease here,” he commented. Even the way he ate was refined in a way you could never learn.

Shrugging, you tried not to watch him. “Things have gotten easier. I just haven’t been able to find my mother. There’s no leads to go off of.”

“Have you tried the public records? They usually make note of any and every change that occurs.” He took a long sip of his tea. “She could have remarried, which would have been recorded.”

Your stomach twisted at the idea. Of course you had no control over what your mother did. But the idea that she remarried and started a new family felt like a kick in the gut. “I didn’t think of that…”

Leaning back in his chair, Lucifer watched your facial expressions. “She might not have gotten married either. It’s just a thought.”

The corner of your lip quirked up. “Thank you for trying to make me feel better. Though I guess I should consider all ideas as possible. For all I know she could be dead.”

He was silent for a moment before clearing his throat. “I thought about what you said last time. And I still stand by what I said. You humans tend to exacerbate issues that we try to solve.”

You glared at the table. “So in other words you’re not going to do anything. You’re just going to let them continue the sacrifices.”

“I only speak based on experience. I’ve lived far longer than you have, and I’ve seen what happens when gods walk among humans. Humans have done far worse than leave a sacrifice alive.” His gaze was dark and cold.

Standing up, you grabbed your things. “That may have happened a long time ago, but humans have changed. You can just let our past faults define us. And even if what you say will happen again, I want to believe that we can be better.”

You left him without looking back. Perhaps you were naïve in your thinking. However you felt Lucifer should take responsibility for what your village did in his name. Yes, it wasn’t his fault. But he still had the power and influence to change things. Humans weren’t beyond reason as he seemed to think. They had come a long way from the very beginning, and they would continue to evolve.

“Stupid gods,” you grumbled aloud.

\---------

“You seem to be interested in the god Lucifer,” one of the caretakers commented. He came up to you as you eyed the statue.

“Uh…yeah I guess you could say that. My village was very…devoted to him.” You scoot a bit away from the curious caretaker.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Lucifer is one of the most popular gods to date, so it’s no surprise. You know his title as god of the skies was because he used to have six large wings. But after the war, he lost them.”

You knew of the story having heard it all your life. “His wings were plucked off by the creator of gods himself. It was his punishment for siding with the new gods. He can only travel on the winds.”

“Exactly. He brings blessings of good weather but also curses of terrible winds and storms.” The caretaker was watching you with interest. “Would you care to join our temple? We are always looking for new members who share an interest in the god.”

“Oh…um no thank you.” You waved your hands frantically in front of you. “I’d make a horrible caretaker. And I’m kind of busy so yeah!”

“That’s too bad. The pay is well and you always have a place to stay with a warm meal.” He inched closer to you. “I can guarantee that working here will be the best thing for you.”

“Thank you, but no.” You kept your voice firm, but he seemed adamant on getting you to change your mind.

A gloved hand rested firmly on your shoulder. “There are, love.” You stiffened but immediately relaxed when Lucifer gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“I-I was just checking out the temple.” You turned to the caretaker. “I need to get home.”

The caretaker backed off. “Such a shame.” He shook his head and left.

Lucifer guided you out of the temple. You let out a relieved breath once you were far enough away. “I thought I was going to be kidnapped and inducted into this place against my will.”

“They can be aggressive when looking for new recruits. I would suggest you don’t come here as often.” He released his hold on you. He was regarding you with a cautious curiosity. “Why do you spend so much time at the temple?”

“It feels like a safe place to be when I want to be alone with my thoughts. The caretakers usually don’t bother me. And I’m used to being surrounded by your statue, so it’s familiar.” Your shoulder felt warm from his touch.

“Yet you hate me,” he stated.

Shaking your head, you wonder what gave him that idea. “I don’t hate you. You frustrate me to no end because of your inaction. But at the end of the day, I can’t hate you. In some ways you saved my mother and me. Second chances don’t come everyday, and I realize that. Yet, I still don’t think you're right.”

“I’m usually never wrong.” He sounded so sure of himself. Perhaps admitting he was wrong was too difficult for him.

You laughed warily. “Your pride will come back to bite you. At least that’s what my father would say.”

He was amused. “You talk rather freely despite being in front of a god.”

“Would you rather I lie and humble myself to you?” you countered.

A shake of his head. “No. I like the way you are now.”

Warmth crept up your face, but you quickly shoved down the feeling. “Do you want dinner? I was going to make stuffed crab.” The last time your plans of stuffed crab went out the window. You had been too rough with the crab in your frustration from the talk with him at the cafe.

“I haven’t had a home cooked meal in a long time,” he mused to himself aloud.

And that was how you ended up with Lucifer in your kitchen. Despite your protest, he helped out with preparing everything. He seemed at ease in your small kitchen cutting up the ingredients. It was almost human the way he moved around and handed you things. You almost forgot you were cooking for a god.

“I know you said you have a lot of work, but what do you do?” you asked.

He was setting the table. “Mostly paperwork for Diavolo. We might be gods, but even we need to have a system to keep everything in check.”

Your nose scrunched up. “I really can’t imagine you doing paperwork. It’s so…human.”

“Someone once said ‘In some ways we are human, so we should learn from them because even they have something to teach us’ and I can understand that now,” he commented. He had paused in setting the table. Another faraway look was on his face. 

What went on in the head of a god?

“Lucifer?”

He snapped out of his daze. “Everything is done.” He ignored the questioning look you gave him in favor of placing the plates on.

Eating with a god wasn’t as different as you thought. Perhaps it was due to the fact that you saw Lucifer as less of a god and more a person. He hadn’t used his powers since the time he brought you here. It was easy to forget who he really was.

“So,” you pointed your knife at him “what’s your favorite thing about being a god?”

Lucifer took a long drink from his glass. “Must I choose one?” His eyes lit up in amusement at the way your brow twitched. “I don’t know honestly. My brothers perhaps.”

“Your brothers? So you care about them a lot. That’s what the stories said at least.”

“Sometimes the stories can be correct. Though it does help when the gods themselves help write them.” He glanced at the cup. “This wine is fairly good.”

“Glad you like it. It was the cheapest one I found.” You resisted the smirk that wanted to form on your face. “So gods actually go around telling humans their stories?”

“Some of them do. Mammon and Asmodeus used to do it the most often.” There was a tinge of fondness in his voice you could detect. “I don’t really think it matters what stories are told about us. We continue to live our immortal lives regardless.”

“Really?” You had finished your meal and picked up the plate to clean. “So if someone told a story about how you were the worst god, you wouldn’t care?”

Lucifer brought his own plate to be cleaned. “Obviously if someone was spreading false information like that, I would have this rectified.”

You cleaned up everything while Lucifer walked around your apartment. He stepped out onto the small balcony. “So you do care what people say about you,” you called.

“Can you say there isn’t a living being who does not?” he countered.

You join him on the small balcony, you arm almost brushing against his own. Leaning over the railing, you looked out to the city beyond. “You’re right. It’s just you seem so…detached from all that. Maybe it’s the way you carry yourself…”

You felt him shift so he was facing you, his back leaning against the side railing. “And how do I carry myself?”

Deciding to humor him, you answered honestly, “You're confident and proud. You walk in a way that demands attention and control. It doesn’t hurt that you’re also very handsome.”

He chuckled lowly. “I thank you for the compliment. You are very honest with your thoughts; It’s refreshing coming from a human. Though it might cause you problems in the future with your kind.”

“I already know that. I’m pretty sure the village elder was ecstatic I got chosen, since just the year before I was questioning the legitimacy of the sacrifice. He looked like I had murdered the whole village.” You laughed at the memory. Of course you hadn’t meant for the village elder to hear, but he had come by just as the words had slipped your tongue. “I’m nothing but a heretic to him and the other devout followers. They must have found my being chosen divine punishment of sorts.”

“No love lost between you and your village?” he asked.

You turned to meet his gaze. “I would want to go back just to see my father’s grave one last time. I can’t say I hate the village since I grew up there. The people were kind to me, and almost like a second family when my father died. I just want something different compared to some. That’s not unreasonable is it?”

“No,” he murmured, his vermilion eyes seemed to soften a bit. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting something else that others might not think is a good choice.”

“Speaking from experience?” Tilting your head to the side, your brows creased together. “Why did you rebel against the old gods? I know the stories said it was because you hated the ways of the old, but I always thought there was more.”

“That’s a story for another time.” He went back inside.. “I should return; I have a lot of work to do.” You watched him leave your apartment from your place on the balcony; the store closing with a firm hand.

Looking down below, you saw his figure on the street. The people around him seemed to unconsciously move further away from him. He was a dark figure among the sea of humans who were unaware a god walked among them.

\---------

Every so often you would meet Lucifer while shopping or walking around town. And every time you offered him dinner. He never refused and always helped clean up. Conversation was light and stayed away from personal topics as you noticed his guard went back up when you asked. You wanted him to stay longer so you were careful with your questions. At times you forgot you were speaking with a god. There was an aura around him that was unmistakable, but the more dinners you had the more you got used to it.

Your search for your mother continued but in less earnest. Perhaps it was because you were growing comfortable in the country. You had started to build a life there that you hadn’t imagined before. Memories of your village started to fade to the back of your mind as you focused on the present. As two years drew near, you found yourself looking forward to the next day without much worry.

Stability and happiness can only last for so long. The small reprieve will always be broken in some way.

\---------

“Those pastries were delicious!” you sighed, satisfied with the meal and dessert.

Lucifer carefully cleaned up. “I saw them at the bakery and thought you might enjoy them.”

Sinking down onto the pile of pillows and blankets you had placed in the corner of the apartment as a “nest” of sorts, you closed your eyes. “You’re going to make me fat with all the treats. Are you sure gods don’t eat humans?” you teased.

The sound of running water lulled you into a daze. “Like I said before, we gods do not eat humans. Though,” the water shut off and you heard his socked footsteps come closer to where you were “I might make an exception.”

His shadow loomed over you as you cracked one eye open. “Come rest.” Patting the space, you watched in amusement as he shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

He let out a light grunt as he laid on the cushions. “This is ridiculous. You have a perfectly good lounge right there.”

“True. But sometimes it's nice to just lay on the floor with a bunch of soft pillows and look up at the ceiling.” You smiled and rolled onto your back. “Sometimes I stare at the ceiling and try to make shapes out of the cracks up there.”

The pillows shifted as he settled on his back with his hands resting on his stomach. You wished you could stand up and see what the great Lucifer looked like lounging on the ground. “Bored are we?”

You chuckled. “Maybe. But that one,” you pointed at a crack right above “looks like a giant squid holding a cat. And the one in that corner looks like a castle guarded by a serpent.”

“And that one?” he pointed to one that stretched from the center of the room to the balcony door.

“It’s a field of horses following a man running.” You smiled to yourself. “I used to do this with my mother and father except with the clouds. My memories are hazy but I recall having so much fun.”

“You haven’t found your mother yet?”

“No. Though I’m not sure if I’ll keep looking. Maybe she doesn’t want to be found. Maybe she’s enjoying her new life, and finding her would just ruin it,” you admitted aloud. “Maybe I would just ruin it by looking for her…”

He was silent for a moment, then spoke, “Your mother loved you dearly. She wanted to return to the village when I brought her here. But I told her that it wouldn’t be a good idea. Humans tend to retaliate when presented with something that goes against their beliefs.”

You turned on your side, eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why now?”

“I’ve transported humans for centuries. I may remember everything, but even I can slip up. But I also don’t want you to think she wasn’t thinking about you and your father. Family is valuable, and knowing they care and are safe is important.”

You didn’t feel angry at him. You felt a sense of relief. “To you, family is the most important right?”

“Yes.” His eyes were trained on the ceiling. “I understand what it’s like to lose a family member. The agony and grief one goes through is immeasurable. When the old gods punished Lilith, I couldn’t stand there and watch.”

“Lilith…?” Your knowledge of myths wasn’t as vast as some. But the name sounded familiar. “Was she an old god?”

“She was the old goddess of light, but I’m sure most humans have forgotten her. She loved to be around humans more than anything. She loved them so much, she fell in love with one.” His voice was a low, soft whisper. “But when she tried to be with her human, the old gods considered her relationship taboo. So they chained her to the darkest corner of the world as punishment; it slowly drained her of life.”

You frowned. “But why is it taboo?”

“They believed themselves superior to humans, and mixing with them would only taint the gods. “ He was all but glaring at the ceiling. “We all believed it without a thought until Lilith. Diavolo was the one who released her from her chains, but she died anyways.”

“So that’s why you rebelled… You did hate the ways of the old gods, but only because it hurt someone you cared about.” Reaching out, you gently placed a hand over his gloved one. “I’m sorry.”

The crease in his brow smoothed as he met your gaze. “I’m not one to share personal things, but you have a way of making me want to.” Taking your hand in his, he examined it back and front. “Humans have such fragile hands. Even after Lilith’s passing, I could never understand her love for humans. But now…”

“But now?” The emotions in the room seemed to swirl and form a blanket over you two. You held your breath as you waited for his reply.

But a firm knock on the door broke the spell. With a groan, you pulled away from him and got up. “Wait a second!”

Opening the door, a mail carrier held out an envelope. “Special delivery.”

“Thank you.” Giving the mail carrier a coin, you closed the door. “It’s from the people’s bureau office…”

Opening the envelope, you quickly scanned the contents. Silence filled the apartment as your hands shook slightly. “What is it?” Lucifer asked, standing up to move closer to you as you sat down in a chair.

“My mother’s ashes are in the morgue. They heard I was looking for her and wanted to let me know she passed away a few months before I arrived here,” you explained woodenly. “She died of a cold while in the hospital.”

He squeezed your shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

You sat there still as a statue. The letter fell on the table, forgotten. Your throat tightened as you squeezed your eyes shut. “I-I should get her ashes tomorrow…” You swallowed loudly. “She needs to be laid next to my father.”

“You shouldn’t go back there,” he warned.

Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, you shook your head. “I have to. It was her wish. She never remarried here, so she’s all alone. You have to understand, Lucifer.”

“I understand that you are not thinking straight with the news you just received. Returning to your village is not feasible.” The sternness in his voice did nothing to convince you.

You looked up at him, hopeful. “Maybe you could come with me? Then they wouldn’t have a reason to react badly if they knew who you were.”

He shook his head, his lips forming into a thin line. “You know how I feel about that.”

“Of course,” you replied bitterly. “You should go. I have work tomorrow.”

He paused trying to say something but only shook his head. “I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be away for a few days. Wait for me and we can pick up her ashes then. We can find a place here to bury her.”

“Okay…” You didn’t meet his eyes as he left. Reading the letter once more, you folded it back in the envelope.

\---------

You were being reckless, you knew that. But you also knew Lucifer wouldn’t let you go back to your village. He was a god and could do anything in his power to stop you. So you took the chance that he was away and brought your mother’s ashes back to your village. The trip was only two days by horse. You walked the rest of the way and had made it by the time the sun started to set.

Stepping into the village, you couldn’t believe the change. Houses were crumbling and anything that was once green was dead. It seemed in the almost two years you were gone, a massive drought had happened. You carefully made your way through the village and to the cemetery your father was buried.

The people kept their heads down and went about their ways without any emotion. Most eyes seemed to be glazed over. Keeping your hood over your head, you made it past people. They ignored you, which was fine by you.

Arriving at the spot where your father’s ashes lay, you squatted down. “Hello, father. I’m sorry I haven’t visited. I found mother. Now you two can be together.” You tried to crack a smile but it didn’t fully form.

Placing the silver urn next to the clay one, you closed your eyes. “Diavolo, please judge them honestly. They are kind people who deserve a better life.”

Sighing, you stood up and made your way out of the village without anyone bothering you. Letting out a deep breath, you let the setting sun hit your face. You felt free now. You could return to your life without worry. Now that everything in the village was settled, you had nothing holding you back.

A strong but bony hand grabbed your arm. “You!” You were pulled back and met the bloodshot eyes of the village elder. “Why are you alive?!” His voice echoed. “It’s because of you that our village is suffering! Ever since that day, we’ve had terrible weather. First it wouldn’t rain. Then it rained too much. All our crops are dead! The god Lucifer has cursed us because of you!”

“Let go!” You yanked your arm out of his hold. “Whatever happened here isn’t my fault.”

“It is! Lucifer did not deem you fit as a sacrifice and he is now punishing us! We must rectify this!” His voice grew louder with each sentence.

You backed away and turned to run. But strong hands grabbed your arms once more and you found yourself being dragged back. “Let me go!”

Despite the haggard appearance, the people were strong enough to hold you down. Someone tied ropes around your legs and another bound your arms together. The shouts of the people jumbled together into chaos.

You were tied to a thick wooden stake that was surrounded by wood and dry grass. To your horror, the stench of burned flesh filled your nose. They had recently burned someone alive at the very place you were being tied to. 

They were going to burn you alive to appease their god.

“Lucifer!” you screamed, hoping he could hear you. “Please!”

As the village elder lit the pile of wood, the people chanted. “Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!” Your own cries were drowned out.

The flames licked up the dried wood and your skin prickled. Then it felt near blistering as you attempted in vain to get free. The flames licked the soles of your shoes. A cry of agony ripped from your throat as the heat grew too much to handle. Tears burned your face as your cries mixed with the screams of the villagers. 

You should have listened.

You should have listened.

\---------

When you weren’t at your apartment or at work, he knew you hadn’t listened to him. You were stubborn that way, and there was rarely anyway to change your mind. Lucifer took the fastest winds to your village, not caring if someone saw him appear out of nowhere. 

Inside your village, he paused in his steps as the winds whispered in his ears. He followed them to the center of the village. There stood a large makeshift fire pit that looked to have been recently used.

Blackened wood and a charred pole remained. And the unmistakable remains of a human corpse laid in the mess. Burnt to unrecognizable proportions, only the winds confirmed his greatest fear.

Your screams of his name, lost to the chaos but remained as a memory to the winds, echoed in his ears. Like a broken note that continued to play on and on.

Ignoring the wreckage, Lucifer climbed over to the slumped over and broken corpse. Reaching out a gloved hand, he touched what remained; still warm to the touch. The body shuddered and crumbled in his hands.

“Hey! You can’t be there!” A man shouted.

Lucifer dropped his hand and stood up. “How dare you,” he murmured, his eyes looking down at the charred remains now mixed with the wood.

“What?”

His head snapped up and his eyes seemed to glow eerily. “How dare you!” His voice boomed loud enough to echo around the village.

A strong wind knocked the man backwards causing him to smack his head on the ground. Other people around him stood frozen not sure what to do. Dark clouds suddenly blocked out the sun as the winds blew harder. It howled in agony like a wounded animal.

The village elder was the only one to step forward. “Oh mighty Lucifer!” He dropped to his knees and bowed until his face touched the dirt. “Please spare us. We only did this to appease you.”

“You thought burning a person alive would appease me? You are all fools!” His voice shook. Your cries still echoed in his head.

The old man quaked. “W-we didn’t know. Please find it in your heart!”

Suddenly the wind changed course knocking down the people standing so they all fell to their knees. “That’s right, you didn’t know.” His voice became icy and even. “You humans do whatever you want without thinking of the consequences. Face the consequences now.”

He raised his arm up. However a firm hand on his shoulder and a stern voice calling his name made him stop. 

“Lucifer that’s enough.” Diavolo was frowning in disapproval. Beside him was Barbatos with his unreadable expression. 

“They’re murderers!” he snarled. “They deserve to be punished for their crimes!”

The red haired man shook his head. “They are humans who made a mistake. Killing them will not solve anything. You’re letting your emotions take control, my friend.”

Looking at his hands, his gloves were caked in ashes and grime. He clenched his fists but dropped his arm. “Humans...they’re disgusting creatures.”

“Not all of them.” He gestured to your remains behind them. “Rebirth allows for another chance at a better life. I don’t know when it will happen but it will.”

His anger ebbed away. All that was left was an empty pain in his chest. “Thank you.” He turned to your remains. “I’m sorry, my love. I vow that you’ll have a better life next time. And I will not interfere this time.”

Diavolo watched on with a sad smile. “Sometimes those we love have a way of finding us again. Even if we make promises, fate will always intervene.”

“Shall we return them back in time, my lord?” Barbastos asked, gesturing to the frozen villagers.

He nodded. “Return them to just before Lucifer arrived once we leave.”

The dark clouds vanished and the winds died down. Lucifer gave one last look at the pile of ashes. He forced himself to turn away and vanished in a cold wind.

\---------

Bolting up in bed, you felt sweat drench your body. Your nightshirt clung to your skin and your breathing came out in puffs. Rubbing your arms, you glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was still too early to be up on a weekend. The smell of smoke and fire lingered. Your legs prickled.

Letting out a tired groan, you flopped back onto your pillow. Strong arms wrapped around your middle, and you were nestled into a cool chest. “What happened?” Lucifer asked, his voice rough with sleep.

“I had a nightmare. It felt so real,” you mumbled. You entwined your legs with his. “I was being burned alive while these people screamed your name.”

The arms around your waist tightened a bit. “It was just a dream. Go back to sleep.”

Huffing, you snuggled closer to him. “That’s what you say about all my weird dreams. I swear it’s like I lived that life or something. I could feel the fear and despair as if it were my own.”

“I would never let anything happen to you…” the word ‘again’ was on the tip of his tongue. “Anyways, didn't you want to go to the museum today, we still have a few more hours before then.” Ever the level headed one, you knew he was right.

“My hero!” You grinned as you felt your stomach flutter. “But you’re right. Back to sleep. Goodnight, Lucifer.” You relaxed and closed your eyes, falling asleep quickly once more. 

Lucifer pressed a kiss on the back of your head. “Sleep well, love.” 

Even as he closed his eyes, your screams of agony as you called his name haunted his memories. He swore on his life that he would protect you this time.


End file.
